didn't offer. It just is. Women throw themselves at me. I use them, but if anyone gets close, I move on."
Kimbra nods. "I see."
"No, damn it, you don't. You're different. You always have been. You've never been like those women."
"I was never the football-girlfriend type," she admits.
I pull her eyes back to mine. "No. You're not. You're so much more. I waited for you to throw yourself at me. That's the way my gamebook works. I'm a receiver, not the quarterback."
"I-I..." Kimbra swallows as she looks deep into my eyes.
"For nearly three years I've waited. You never did. That day when you made me this deal, when you gave me the opportunity to be your plus-one, I seized it. Kimbra, I enjoyed this weekend. I don't want it to ruin what we have at work."
Her smile is forced. "What do we have? I never really thought you noticed me."
"If you've listened to me at all, you know that I have. I've noticed and watched. You didn't blackmail me into this deal: I seized it. I've wanted you since that day nearly three years ago."
Kimbra turns back to the window. "I guess," she says softly, "I could be happy for that, or realize that I gave you the opportunity to add another notch—"
"Fuck, no!"
Her entire body flinches.
"You're not a goddamned notch. I don't want this to end. I've enjoyed this weekend. A dog is a big step for me."
"I don't want a dog." She turns on me with fire in her stare. "What I want are some more answers. Honest answers."
"Honest? What do you want to know?" I ask, petrified of what she'll ask. Because if she asks who the woman in the bathroom was, I'll need to tell her the truth. I’ll need to tell her that I don't know her name. And if I tell her that, I'll confirm that I'm nothing more than a womanizing ass, and I wouldn't blame her for walking away.
"First, let me be honest, too. I don't have a model in my past. But I did have someone who promised me more and took it all away. I won't be cheated on or lied to. That's why I'm not asking for more. And I don't want a fucking dog."
I nod. "Your question?"
"You said you weren't in a relationship."
"I don't do relationships."
Her eyes close and then reopen. "The woman, whose name you haven't told me, she isn't...wasn't...it's not serious?"
"No. Not serious."
"You said you were at Gaston's with Jennifer because your date cancelled. Was that date just another woman or is she someone who's important?"
I try to restrain my grin. "She is someone serious."
"I see."
"Stop saying that. You don't."
"Have you...is it more than physical with her?"
I laugh. "It's never been physical...well, I suppose I learned my love of breasts from her, but you can't blame her." Before Kimbra can speak, I confess. "They say breastfeeding is important. She's always wanted what was best for me."
Kimbra shakes her head. "What?"
"My date was my mother. And for the record, I wasn't one of those eight-year-old breastfeeders like that kid on Game of Thrones. I don't remember it, but I do love breasts. There may be a connection. Anyway, my mom and I have dinner every Monday night, ever since I went away to college."
"Y-your mother?"
"Yes, and one day, I'd love to introduce the two of you."
"So," Kimbra says, her eyes blinking rapidly, "you're not involved with anyone?"
"I’m not. Well, I wasn’t…” I correct, unbuckling my seatbelt and moving until I'm standing over Kimbra's seat with my hands on the armrests. Since the plane has reached cruising altitude, thankfully the alarms don't sound. I lean over her, just as I'd done on our way to Indiana. However, this time it isn't about sex. This time I want to be sure she listens and understands every damn word.
She lifts her chin and looks directly into my eyes. "Duncan, please. Don't make this harder. I asked for a weekend. Your debt is paid."
"I want more than a weekend. And maybe someday I can introduce you to my mom and the rest of my family. I wish I could say they’re as much fun as yours, but... They are mine. I’ll claim them."
“You don't owe me any more. Like I said, your debt is paid.”
I lift her chin. “Stop saying that. I realize this began unconventionally, but only because you made me work so damn hard.”
“I-I don’t know what you want.”
“For the first time in my truly adult life, I want a