Chapter Two

“Sorry.” Alys’s response was short but succinct.

Simon waited, but she wasn’t forthcoming with any excuses. “You’re … you’re saying no?”

A quick blink, a sweep of thick, dark lashes before those impossibly golden eyes widened. “I guess I should have said no. But I am sorry.”

It was insane, but he wanted to continue the conversation, even figuring he’d regret it. “Why are you sorry?”

A faint tinge of pink colored her cheekbones and a couple of little white teeth worried a corner of her full bottom lip. “I get asked out a lot. And I know it can’t be easy to get turned down.”

Her reply should have reeked of feminine arrogance, yet it didn’t. If anything, it was considered and thoughtful, and despite the twinge of her rejection, he found himself admiring her for it. But wasn’t that Alys? Kind. Caring.

A hint of surprise followed, confusing him. It didn’t make a lot of sense when he dwelled on it—rarely was he turned down and when it happened, it didn’t bother him. This was different, and a twofer. Huh.

Telling himself it didn’t matter did not stop him from pursuing it like a juvenile trout after a cleverly crafted, manmade fly. “Is there a reason you won’t go out with me?”

Another blink, accompanied by her tucking a strand of silky red-gold hair behind her ear betrayed what he thought was a bit of nervousness, and he thought to back down. Aside from his intense need to have her, Alys brought out some weird emotions in him, ones he might catalog as protectiveness—even possessiveness—and that wasn’t him. Better he let those sleeping dogs lie. He was crazy about her but clearly, the sentiment wasn’t returned.

“Never mind. Forget I asked.” Even to his ears he sounded peevish and decided to add petulant to his rapidly increasing scope of emotions. Time to get gone. He was back to fleeing from her.

She said, “I don’t date men who’ve … been around.”

He halted in his tracks. Despite his best efforts, the old double standard raised its evil head and he was pissed at himself. What was there to say? He definitely qualified for her description, having been celibate only for the past six months or so, hardly enough to challenge that status.

Digging himself deeper, or maybe to poke back, he said, “Been around?”

Her pretty face flamed, nearly matching the tones in her hair and her eyes narrowed. “C’mon, Simon. We pretty much grew up together. Well, you grew up with my brother and I tagged along. You and he… You dated a lot. And I know you … dated after high school.”

Okay, she didn’t need to go into detail. That was one of the reasons he hadn’t allowed himself to see her the way he did, now. Of course, she’d been privy to his exploits. He and Jeff had been prone to discussing them in explicit detail—as teenagers, his friend counting coup as well. As a man, he’d learned to keep his interludes private, or at least he didn’t chat about the intimate details, but he could imagine what Alys remembered.

“I’ve never had anyone turn me down because of my experience.” As an attempt at humor, it fell flat, to judge by the way her lips set. It seemed a crime to see such pillowy softness compress that way. He could think of far better uses for that mouth and if that made him a dick, so be it.

“Some women prefer to have their romantic partner garner experience alongside them.” Her blush deepened a tad but her features remained resolute.

Holy shit. Alys was a virgin. His hope wilted even as his dick stood up—taller—and nodded its approval. A wave of possessiveness washed over him, followed by something that felt suspiciously like shame. “I can’t change my past—”

“I made the choice to wait until I met someone I wanted to … share with.” She spoke over his protest and looked away.

He’d detected a faint shimmer in her eyes and couldn’t decipher the meaning. Was she embarrassed? Feeling bad that she judged? He decided not to attach any significance to her tears, like maybe she was full of regret. That would be his ego speaking.

“No worries, Alys.” He worked hard at keeping his tone fairly neutral with a shade of reassuring.

“I liked when we were friends.”

He didn’t think that was going to continue, not with the way he was feeling. Struggling against the attraction had sapped his energy. Being around her going forward, knowing what he knew about her and what values she held dear hadn’t quashed his interest. The shame had rapidly dispersed, which made him a really bad person. “That doesn’t have to change.”

And, he was clearly possessed. It certainly hadn’t been him conveying that opinion. But the relief on her face and a blooming smile kept him silent, even knowing he lied.