Greer must have been drunker than she thought, because she swore he said he wasn't a minister, but that couldn't be right. If she could stop her frigging head from spinning she'd sort this out. Either way, the moment passed as he went limp. Shit. What was it with him? At this rate, he'd never round her bases.

She removed her hand and stepped back. "What did you say?"

He put his fingers to his forehead like it might explode. "I'm not a minister. Never have been. Never will be."

She slumped on the stool. "You lied? All this time, you've been lying?" She clutched her chest. "Why would you do that?"

He scooted a stool closer and sat. "Technically, it wasn't a lie. That day at the church, you assumed I was the associate, and I thought you just wanted directions, so I didn't see the need to correct you. But then it turned into more and I couldn't figure out how to tell you without sounding like a player."

She gazed at him, then tears streamed down her cheeks. "I told you things I've never told anyone. I trusted you with my secrets. Not even my best friends know I took money to end my marriage."

"You can still trust me. I swear that's the only thing about me that isn't fact. I'm exactly the man you think I am, except I'm an architect. Your secrets are safe with me. You've got to understand I never meant to hurt you, or betray you. It was a crazy mistake and the longer it went on, the harder it was to fix."

She bowed her head and laced her fingers behind her neck. "I can't deal with this right now. Maybe when my head is clear..." her voice trailed off. "Take me home."

"Okay, but remember I stopped things before we went too far. That should count for something. According to you, the kind of men you date wouldn't give a shit."

Thank goodness it was only a fifteen minute drive because she didn't think she could have held her tongue much longer. The urge to scream simmered in her head and beneath her skin. Not just at him. Sean, too.

They must have had a good laugh at her expense. Her cooking instructor passing along information and then setting them up at the bar. What an idiot she was. Talk about off her game, she didn't allow men to get the best of her, she stayed one step ahead of them.

Usually.

All she had to do was flutter her eyes, push up her tits, and let her jeans ride low on her hips. Men were so easy it was ridiculous. Play to their dick brains and get all the sex she wanted. And that was all she needed from them. Jackson included.

On the trip home, she'd gone back and forth between wanting to kill Jackson and screw him into tomorrow. Sure she was mad, but that didn't stop the lust she'd been carrying around for weeks. She hated herself for that. Hot for a man who'd lied to her, but then again, he was right. Her chosen bad boys lied to get into her pants, but she expected that. It was the reason she chose the type. Any promises were total bullshit and made it easier.

With him, it'd been different. They'd forged a friendship. The first one she'd had with a man. Maybe that's why this hurt so much.

Through the window, she watched him drive away and wondered if she'd ever see him again—or if she wanted to. Who was she kidding? She did, but wanting to and actually doing it were two different things. One thing was certain. She was tired of thinking about it.

She turned to face the babysitter. "Everything go all right?"

"Yes. Emma is never any trouble. She's been in bed since nine."

Greer dug in her purse, then handed her money. "Thanks for coming on short notice."

"No problem. Call anytime."

Fifteen minutes later, Greer soaked in the tub and tried to think of other things, but couldn't. Every thought went back to Jackson. How the hard length of him felt, and the anticipation of having it buried deep inside her. Nerves jittering, stomach jumping, she asked herself just how big of a deal was the lie? When he'd said everything else had been real, she'd believed him.

If he had been playing her, he would have never confessed. Just taken her to bed, then been done with her. But he hadn't. Even in the throes of lust, with her tearing at his clothes, he stopped. How many men would have stopped? None she'd been with.

Medusa and Mordecai squeezed through the small crack in the door, settled on the rug, and looked up at her.

"What do y'all think I should do?" Both kittens cocked their heads. "Okay, you need more information. I get it. Here's the positives. He's kind. Thoughtful. Dependable. So damn sexy he should have a warning label. Did I mention Emma loves him?"

Medusa licked her paw and washed her face. Mordecai stretched out and closed his eyes. "Okay, I can see you're both interested, so let's move to the negative column. "He lied. That's about it for that list, unless you want to count his ability to stop things just as they got going."

Medusa licked, rotated her head against her paw, then licked again and repeated.

"I know. That last one could fit on the positive list, too. Depends on how you look at it."

The kitty finished her bath, then reclined next to her brother.

Greer flicked water at them and they came to attention. "Don't go to sleep. You need to help me figure this out. Let's say I forgive him. Then what? We have sex? I want to and so does he, but it's almost happened twice, and both times fate stepped in, so that's got to be sign, right?"

Both fur balls took one last look at Greer and skittered from the room. She called after them. "Great! You're no help."

And I'm talking to cats. Again.

She slipped low into the tub until water covered her face. The roaring in her ears reminded her of how Jackson affected her. Like a drowning woman trying to get a breath. She'd never felt that way before. Not even with Mason.

She rose up out of the water, gasping with the revelation. She needed to stay away from him. Karma was sending her a message, and from experience, it was never wrong.

*

Regardless of the outcome, relief washed over Jackson. Maybe confession was good for the soul, but in this case, one weight lifted, replaced with another. Now he had to wait for forgiveness and no guarantee Greer would grant it.

As pissed as he was about the setup, it had provided the opportunity to clear the air between them. The information about Andreas was the best news Jackson could have gotten. He should have trusted his instincts. Greer had changed. She was a good mom. Even taking cooking lessons to get better at the domestic stuff. That's what he should have concentrated on, but when he'd seen the guy's name inside the heart, it had torn Jackson apart. The thought of her with another man caused a fire in his chest.

He got out of the shower, dried off, and checked his phone, praying for a message from her. Anything. Even a screw you would be welcome. Just something so he'd know she was thinking about him. It might take a few days for her to come around, but she would. She had to.

But then what? It'd be less than a week before she left. He couldn't let that happen, because once she got back home, she'd fall back into her old ways. If not with Andreas, then some other loser.

No message. Damn. He pulled on a pair of shorts and strolled into the kitchen where a short time ago, she'd had her hand down his pants and it'd took every ounce of resistance he had to stop her. God, it'd been a while since he'd been that hard, that quick. Even now, the memory of her lips, soft flesh, and hot fingers had his cock twitching. He wanted her. She wasn't wrong for him.

He couldn't leave his future to tarot or karma, or whatever shit Greer believed in. He needed to make his own fate, and by God, he would. The chemistry was there. He'd show her what a bad boy a good man could be. All he had to do was start over and there was no time to waste.

His window of opportunity was closing. First thing tomorrow, he'd put his plan in place and she'd better get ready, because if she thought she was hot for him earlier, she was wrong.

He was about to burn her down.

---------------

What is Jackson up too? ;P

Til next time,

x zuz