Page 89 of Falling for the Enemy

How many times had he used this playlist, lit that fire, and when was the last time this blanket was washed? How did one wash genuine fur anyway?

She eyed the blanket with growing distaste as it draped around her body. “What animal is this?”

“The synthetic kind. I think it’s supposed to be a cross between faux sheepskin and mink.”

Oh, now he was going to be an animal activist to get on her good side. She rolled her eyes. It still looked impossible to wash.

“Do you have to get it dry cleaned?”

“I don’t know. The maid handles that.”

There was that maid again… “You’re quite the pampered prince.”

He smirked, but his eyes remained laser-focused on her, as if sensing a scrimmage coming.

She didn’t know why she gave her intrusive self-sabotaging thoughts space to land, but the more they intruded, the busier her brain got undoing the last hour.

“What’s going to happen between you and Shalimar?” she finally blurted.

“Nothing.”

“That was a quick answer.”

“I’m here, Jocelyn. With you.”

But who was there before her? “Don’t you at least want to think about your options?”

He hesitated a split second, but it was enough for her to take twisted satisfaction in his uncertainty. Hesitation meant she was right on some level, and he wasn’t as confident as he pretended to be.

“What is it you want me to say?”

She hated herself for shaving the romantic edge off the evening so carelessly. It was a character flaw of hers for sure, one she recognized but never quite learned how to control. And while he accepted it in her, it was evident he didn’t like it.

“I guess I want you to be honest with me.”

“I am being honest.”

But he wasn’t. “You like her, Soren. It’s okay. I get it. I mean, she’s pretty. She has all that beautiful blonde hair, and she looks like she never slouched a day in her life. Her nails are the perfect length and she probably never missed a dentist appointment in her life.”

“What are you doing?” He pressed a calming hand on her leg, which was bouncing like the needle of a polygraph machine.

She stared down at his hand, her throat tightening. “I know you have a history with her.”

“She’s just a friend, Joce. Our families go way back, and her dad’s on the board, so we have professional ties, but that’s the extent of my responsibility to the Aldriches.”

She wanted to trust the relief that came with his reassurance, but this was new territory. “Will you go out with her again?”

“Jocelyn, I’m trying to date you. I’ve made my choice. You wanted monogamy, and I’m giving it to you. What else can I say to convince you that I’m all in?”

“So…no more Friday night bride hunting?”

“No. It’s just you and me. No one else.”

The reassurance closed over her like a cast, supportive, but at the same time itchy and tight. She finally met his stare. “Did you ever bring her here?”

“I’ve never brought any woman here. You’re the first.”

“Really?”