Read Online Can't Get Enough by Sarah Mayberry - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sarah Mayberry
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if you were really
there with them. That—" Page 35
"Okay, thanks, I think I get the drift," he cut in, holding up a hand
to stem the tide. A profound silence settled between them as his brain
whirled round and round trying to process, adjust and justify her
words.
"You did ask."
She actually sounded guilty.
"Hey, don't worry about me. I think I know enough about human nature to understand where those kind of comments come from."
She didn't say a word, but she didn't need to. After just an hour of
one-on-one with her, he was becoming finely attuned to her body
language. A shift of a shoulder, the sniff of her nose, and she might
as well have shouted at him.
"What? Fine, then. Where do you think those sorts of comments come from?" he demanded. Her eyes
measured him for a moment before she answered. He fought the urge to
squirm.
"You think they're just bitter
because you broke up with them, don't you? And you're probably right,
I'm sure that's some of it. But there are plenty of them who aren't
bitter, just sad." He couldn't let that slide by.
"Because I broke their hearts? Let me tell you, I am never anything but honest with women. They all know the score."
"They're not sad because you rejected them, Jack. They're sad because
for a man with so much potential there's so little on offer. Katherine
told me that she'd never met a man who was more afraid of his feelings
in her life. She said there was no point pursuing anything with someone
who was never going to let himself go."
If she'd quoted anyone else, he would have been able to blow it off as
sour grapes. But Katherine…He'd thought they'd had a real
understanding. A short, hot fling, an absolute meeting of minds—two
people who enjoyed each other, looking for nothing more than a bit of
companionship and human comfort. No strings, no hassles.
He frowned as he remembered that she'd been the one to drift away, the
one to call a halt before the usual awkward time when the relationship
should move into the next stage but was never going to, thanks to his
own fierce commitment to being uncommitted.
He tried to shake off the strange feeling of oppression that settled
over him as he considered that Katherine's assessment was right.
Immediately he thought of Robbie, and he hardened himself. So, maybe
they were right, maybe he didn't have anything to offer on that level.
That was simply the way it was. He'd given it all to Robbie, and he
didn't have anything left to share.
His thoughts snapped back to the woman sitting opposite. He now knew why she judged him the way Page 36
she did. A spark of anger sprang to life inside him. She had judged him, big-time. She'd listened to office gossip and rumor, and
she'd formed her own opinions of him, and decided he was lacking. Hence
all that talk about him being the action-man about the office. Hence
her thinly veiled contempt for him. Vaguely, he was aware of how
quickly his temper had gone from zero to one hundred.
"And let me tell you, that air-conditioning story is bull. Judy never
told me she got heat rash. I said I didn't like the air-conditioning,
sure, but she never said she'd get a rash if it wasn't on." He felt
small and stupid as soon as he'd said it. What was he defending himself
to Claire for, anyway?
"I told you, I didn't believe it at the time."
Now she was being understanding. She even looked like she was
regretting what she'd said to him. He didn't like it that she suddenly
seemed to have the upper hand. He was much more comfortable with their
normal status quo, where he disdained her repression and she expressed
her contempt for his freewheeling attitude.
"I'm surprised you haven't got better things to do than sit around
gossiping about me all day. Workload must be a bit lighter than I
remember it down in Homes," he snipped. She rolled her eyes at him.
"Spare me. You think I want to stand around and talk about the office
stud all day? It's impossible not to pick this stuff up. It's like
osmosis." He sat
there with them. That—" Page 35
"Okay, thanks, I think I get the drift," he cut in, holding up a hand
to stem the tide. A profound silence settled between them as his brain
whirled round and round trying to process, adjust and justify her
words.
"You did ask."
She actually sounded guilty.
"Hey, don't worry about me. I think I know enough about human nature to understand where those kind of comments come from."
She didn't say a word, but she didn't need to. After just an hour of
one-on-one with her, he was becoming finely attuned to her body
language. A shift of a shoulder, the sniff of her nose, and she might
as well have shouted at him.
"What? Fine, then. Where do you think those sorts of comments come from?" he demanded. Her eyes
measured him for a moment before she answered. He fought the urge to
squirm.
"You think they're just bitter
because you broke up with them, don't you? And you're probably right,
I'm sure that's some of it. But there are plenty of them who aren't
bitter, just sad." He couldn't let that slide by.
"Because I broke their hearts? Let me tell you, I am never anything but honest with women. They all know the score."
"They're not sad because you rejected them, Jack. They're sad because
for a man with so much potential there's so little on offer. Katherine
told me that she'd never met a man who was more afraid of his feelings
in her life. She said there was no point pursuing anything with someone
who was never going to let himself go."
If she'd quoted anyone else, he would have been able to blow it off as
sour grapes. But Katherine…He'd thought they'd had a real
understanding. A short, hot fling, an absolute meeting of minds—two
people who enjoyed each other, looking for nothing more than a bit of
companionship and human comfort. No strings, no hassles.
He frowned as he remembered that she'd been the one to drift away, the
one to call a halt before the usual awkward time when the relationship
should move into the next stage but was never going to, thanks to his
own fierce commitment to being uncommitted.
He tried to shake off the strange feeling of oppression that settled
over him as he considered that Katherine's assessment was right.
Immediately he thought of Robbie, and he hardened himself. So, maybe
they were right, maybe he didn't have anything to offer on that level.
That was simply the way it was. He'd given it all to Robbie, and he
didn't have anything left to share.
His thoughts snapped back to the woman sitting opposite. He now knew why she judged him the way Page 36
she did. A spark of anger sprang to life inside him. She had judged him, big-time. She'd listened to office gossip and rumor, and
she'd formed her own opinions of him, and decided he was lacking. Hence
all that talk about him being the action-man about the office. Hence
her thinly veiled contempt for him. Vaguely, he was aware of how
quickly his temper had gone from zero to one hundred.
"And let me tell you, that air-conditioning story is bull. Judy never
told me she got heat rash. I said I didn't like the air-conditioning,
sure, but she never said she'd get a rash if it wasn't on." He felt
small and stupid as soon as he'd said it. What was he defending himself
to Claire for, anyway?
"I told you, I didn't believe it at the time."
Now she was being understanding. She even looked like she was
regretting what she'd said to him. He didn't like it that she suddenly
seemed to have the upper hand. He was much more comfortable with their
normal status quo, where he disdained her repression and she expressed
her contempt for his freewheeling attitude.
"I'm surprised you haven't got better things to do than sit around
gossiping about me all day. Workload must be a bit lighter than I
remember it down in Homes," he snipped. She rolled her eyes at him.
"Spare me. You think I want to stand around and talk about the office
stud all day? It's impossible not to pick this stuff up. It's like
osmosis." He sat
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