We end up in a bar that serves local food, as we couldn’t get a table at any of the restaurants we tried. But the menu looks good, and they serve beer, so it works for me.

I honestly don’t care where I am so long as I’m with Morgan.

Look at me turning into a sappy fuck.

We take a table in the back. I pick up the menu and browse over it. It’s all written in Thai, so Morgan translates for me.

“How come you learned Thai?” I ask her.

It’s just not your conventional language. Most people in business learn Spanish or Mandarin.

She shrugs. “I speak Spanish, French, and Mandarin as well.”

I stare at her, stunned. “You speak four foreign languages?”

“I’m not fully fluent in Thai. I only started learning it a few years back when I knew I would be coming here. And I guess I’m just a fast learner.” She shrugs again, like it’s no big deal.

“You’re fucking amazing,” I tell her. The words are out before I can stop them. But they are the truth.

And the way her cheeks turn pink as a shy look crosses her face tells me that I just did the right thing.

“Say something to me in all those languages.”

“Nope.” She shakes her head, biting down on a smile.

“Come on, Morgan.” I put my elbows on the table and lean forward. “You know you want to.”

Mirroring me, she puts her elbows on the table and moves in close. My breath catches at her nearness.

“No, I really don’t.”

“Spoilsport.”

I pout, and she laughs.

“Guess I’ll just have to get you drunk and try again later.” I grin and sit back in my seat.

“Yeah. Good luck with that.” She chuckles and then stands up. “I’m gonna use the restroom. Back in a minute.”

“You want me to order for you?”

She pauses and glances down at the menu on the table. Then, she lifts her eyes to mine. “Sure. I’ll have whatever you’re having.”

I watch her walk away, her ass swaying as she goes.

God, I need to have that ass in my hands and bury my face between those gorgeous legs of hers.

No sex thoughts, Cross.

You need to figure out what’s going on in her mind before you can even get to sex.

Slow. Slow.

I get out of my chair and head over to the bar to order our food and drinks.

The bartender is busy, so I lean my elbows on the counter and wait.

“Wilder.” A female voice has me turning my head.

“Audrey. Hi.” I smile, shifting around to face her.

She steps a little closer to me—not invading my personal space, more like she wants to say something but doesn’t want everyone to overhear.

And I’m right when she says in a quieter voice, “I was hoping I’d see you again before I left. I wanted to thank you…for turning me down the other night.” She doesn’t sound like she’s being bitchy. She actually sounds genuine.

“Well, that’s the first time a woman’s ever said that to me.”

I laugh, and so does she.

“Seriously though, I wasn’t doing it for the right reasons, and even though you’re gorgeous, I know that I would have regretted it in the morning if we had slept together.”

“Well then, you’re welcome.”

I’m taking the glory for this, but I know me, and if I wasn’t so hung up on Morgan, I would have nailed Audrey without a second thought.

And knowing that she would have walked away from that, feeling shitty, has me thinking about how many other women I have screwed who have regretted it.

And I’m not thinking in terms of a dent on my ego. But…well, I would never want a woman to leave after having sex with me, feeling like crap because she screwed me for all the wrong reasons.

Then, I think about Morgan. What if we have sex and then she regrets it afterward? Honestly, it would fucking gut me.

“How are things going with that girl who had your head all messed up?” Audrey asks, breaking into my thoughts.

“Ah. Well, nothing’s changed. But I’m hoping it will soon.”

She gives me an encouraging smile. “I’m sure it will. How could any girl resist you for too long?”

“True.” I give a cheeky grin.

“Well, it was good seeing you again.”

“You, too.” I smile.

Audrey leans in and presses a kiss to my cheek. “You’re a good guy, Wilder. Take care.” Then, she’s gone.

I stand here a moment, staring at the empty spot where Audrey just stood.

I can’t stop thinking about what she said. About regret.

I never thought I had any regrets. But I do.

I regret all the time I’ve spent fighting with Morgan. And I don’t just mean since she came back into my life. I mean, back in college, too.

Things could have been so different if we’d just pulled our heads out of our asses and actually spent time getting to know one another.

Because I’m pretty fucking sure we’d have ended up together back then if we had done that.

And I don’t mean, just for a quick fuck. I mean, together, together.

Because that’s sure as hell what I want now.

Sure, I want to bang her. I mean, Jesus, have you seen her?

But it’s not just the sex. It’s her.

Her smart mouth and even smarter mind. Those warm smiles and gorgeous eyes.

I want Morgan. All the time.

How the hell am I only just realizing this now?

It’s not just my cock that’s been obsessed with her.

All of me is obsessed with her.

My head and my heart.

I’m crazy about her.

I glance back at our table, and I see Morgan is there. But she’s not sitting, waiting for me. She’s on her feet, staring at me, and she looks…angry.

I push off the bar and walk over to her. “Hey, what’s—”

I don’t get the rest of the words out because she slaps me so hard, the sound rings through the bar.

“Jesus Christ!” My hand goes to my stinging cheek. “What the fuck was that for?”

Livid, liquid chocolate eyes meet mine. She shakes her hand out, rubbing it with the other. “That,” she says in a scary-ass, breathing-fire voice, “was for all the times you’ve made me feel like shit.”

Then, she picks her bag up and storms out of the restaurant.

But I’m not done with her. Not by a fucking long shot.

I catch her out on the street, grabbing hold of her arm. “Oh no, you don’t. You don’t get to slap me and then run off. I want to know what the hell just happened.”

“Why don’t you just fuck off and go find your girlfriend? ’Cause I’m not interested.”

“My girlfriend?” I stare at her, feeling like I’ve just stepped into an alternate universe. “Are you high right now?”

Her eyes narrow like lasers. And my reflexes are a little faster this time, and I catch her flying hand.

“Stop fucking hitting me,” I hiss at her. “And start talking some sense to me, so I know what the fuck is going on.”

She tries to free her arm from my hand, but no way am I letting go so that she can try to smack me again.

“I saw you…and the redhead. She kissed you—”

“On the cheek!”

“Clearly, you know her. And we’ve only been here a handful of days. So, you must know her well enough for her to feel like she can kiss you on the cheek. And knowing how you get to know women…well, I shouldn’t be surprised, should I? You screwed her. Then, you sweet-talked me. Oh, I admire you, Morgan. You never take my bullshit. I like you. Blah, blah, blah! And I fucking believed you! Like the gullible idiot that I am.

“God, I was actually going to let you kiss me! And then you’re kissing her, probably making plans to meet her later! Ugh, I’m so stupid! What were you going to do, Wilder? Try to get in my pants, and if you didn’t succeed, go for round two with her? Or maybe you just planned on doing us both in the same night! Jesus! Why am I always so fucking stupid when it comes to you?”

I grab her face in my hands, forcing her to look at me. “I didn’t fuck Audrey. The closest I’ve ever been to her was that kiss on the cheek that she gave me. I didn’t kiss her; she kissed me.”

“Well, she clearly felt comfortable kissing you,” she snaps.

“She was thanking me.” My voice is harsh, but I’m frustrated. She just doesn’t seem to be hearing a fucking word I’m saying. “I met her at the hotel bar the first night we arrived here. She recently got divorced, she was feeling lonely, and she propositioned me.”

Morgan barks out a laugh. “Of course she did. And I bet you had a lot of fun with her.”

Jesus, the venom in her eyes. I’ve never seen her like this before.

“Just fucking listen to me for a goddamn minute!” I bark at her.

Her eyes flash with surprise, and I don’t like it, but I’ve got her attention, so I take it and run.

“Audrey hit on me. I turned her down. She was just thanking me for turning her down because she knew that she had asked me for the wrong reasons, and she would’ve regretted it if we’d slept together.”

“You turned her down?”

“Of course I did.”

“Why?”

Is she really that blind? Does she really not see that I’m tied up in knots over her and that I have been ever since she came back into my life?

“Because of you!” I yell, frustrated. “How the fuck could I ever want anyone else when all I think about, all I want, is you?”

And then I’m done talking. It’s time for action.

So, I slam my mouth down on hers, and I kiss her.