Page 389 of Summer Heat
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LATER, MUCH LATER, he realized he must have blacked out there for a minute. Or ten.
When he somehow managed to regain enough brain ability to shift his weight off of her, she grumbled a sleepy protest and followed him as he rolled onto his back.
Smiling, he tucked her in against his chest and did his best to ignore the fact that her sweet weight on him was making him hard again.
Around Abby, his constant arousal was a state of being.
As was this feeling of never wanting to let her go.
It had been the same way last night when she’d fallen asleep on him during the movie. Rather than carry her back to her room right away, he’d just held her and dozed off with her for a bit.
Now here he was again, ready to fall asleep with her in his arms, liking it far more than was sensible.
The realization didn’t stop him from dropping a kiss onto her hair and closing his eyes.
He’d worry about letting her go later.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“SO WHAT NORMALLY HAPPENS at the end of the month?”
Connor sighed. These were not normal questions he usually entertained.
“I mean, it’s got to be an awkward last day,” pressed Abby. “What do you do? Shake hands and provide a severance package with references?”
Damn it, looks like it was cold-hearted bastard time again. “Most times, I just leave before they wake up.”
Abby’s jaw dropped and he could see she was officially offended on behalf of all womankind. “You don’t even leave a note? An email or text message, maybe? A grocery store flower arrangement with a ‘to whom it may concern’ card? Anything?”
Well, when she put it like that.
Her brows went up a notch. “Wow, you’re kind of an asshat.”
He jerked back defensively. “Why? Because I refuse to draw things out and string these women along? I’ve had enough of the post-one-month drama to know how each one of those gestures you just listed could play out. A call or text is always way too awkward because it puts it back on her to reply. And if she does, we’re right back at the start of a vicious loop. Email isn’t all that much better, and actually rather insulting if you ask me. Meanwhile, leaving a note is much, much worse. If I leave a note, then it’s like leaving the hope that this isn’t really goodbye for good, that I want each word I’ve written to be analyzed with the magic relationship decoder ring for the secret hidden message.”
Oh yeah, he was officially worked up. “And a gift? Are you serious? If I send a gift, hell, that’s the same as saying I’ll be back someday so don’t ever forget me.” He looked her square in the eye. “Why do that to them? At least if I leave without a word, they know that’s it. Door closed. The end.”
She was expressionless in her silence.
“Say something,” he grumbled.
“You’ve obviously given this a lot of thought.”
“I have!”
“Everything you said is probably, twistedly more true than not.”
He’d yet to realign his jaw. She wasn’t getting off that easily.
“I’m sorry for calling you an asshat.”
Finally.
“It’s clear that your logic, though warped and jaded, comes from someplace honest and kind.”
Aaand, of course. “Do you have any idea how infuriating you can be?”
