One More Time - Louisa George Page 0,24

help. This doesn’t just have to be about sex.

What? Since when had he encouraged a woman to talk? Since when had he wanted anything other than sex?

But Gabby—she was too many shades, too complex to get his head round. She wanted him to talk but refused to illuminate him on her past. She held back so far it was bordering on retrograde—but when she did let loose it was like setting off fireworks. He was caught firmly in her glare.

‘Says the guy with commitment issues.’ Frowning, she jabbed him in the ribs before walking through to the lounge.

He shrugged as he followed her. ‘Commitment’s overrated.’

‘So I heard.’

‘From whom?’

Her eyebrows rose. ‘The hospital grapevine.’

‘Again? We’ve been over this. You’ll probably hear a whole lot of stuff. Doesn’t make it true.’

‘It was about Jodi and Mitch.’ She paused, dark eyes scrutinising him.

God, it had to happen at some point. Now he felt like he was being put on trial. The truth serum was no doubt burning a hole in her pocket. Why the hell had he been encouraging her to talk? Kissing. Kissing’s what mattered. Losing himself in her. Not relating a sad, sorry tale that benefited no one. He sucked in air. ‘So what about Jodi and Mitch?’

‘Well, actually, Jodi and you. Apparently, you had a thing with her.’

‘I did.’ He didn’t need the damned truth serum. Just one look from those eyes had him spilling the facts. Or at least as much as she needed to know. He had to wipe that dark look from her. Stat. ‘But it was before Mitch ever got involved with her. Me and Jodi had a thing. Not a big thing but a thing.’

‘A relationship thing? Serious?’

He winced. So that’s where she was going, digging to see whether he was capable of caring. The bad news was he didn’t believe he was. ‘It’s complicated. My whole damned life is complicated. Which boils down to the fact that I’m not good at relationships. I can’t do it. Apparently, I don’t give enough, I’m too driven and I work too hard. Women don’t like that.’ He didn’t even want to acknowledge why he did that, why he had to be the best at the cost of everything else.

But his uncle’s endless stream of insults came back to haunt him, along with the relentless competition to excel that marked both Maitlands as the top students through med school. The endless comparison that had been instilled into both of them from a young age. Mitchell’s got his driver’s licence, you’d better pass yours. Make sure you get an A in maths—show Mitch how much better you are. Mitch doesn’t want to see you at Christmas. He’s too busy.

The wedge that had been driven between them grew larger every year, until... ‘After Jodi and I finished, Mitch asked her out.’

‘Tacky.’

‘Broke just about every rule as far as I was concerned. You don’t date your brother’s ex. Period. We were barely communicating as it was. But this just about finished us off’

Similar to this conversation right now. Ignoring the barrier she’d thrown up between them, he stepped back into her space, wrapped a finger in one of her luscious curls and rested his forehead against hers. ‘And that was a real passion-killer, right? I vote we forget about that stuff and rewind. Or fast forward or something.’ He also didn’t want to admit how lately he’d ached to talk to Mitch. Just talk. Bridge that gap. Making Jamie better had been a good step, but he didn’t know how to take the next one.

Gabby stared up at him. ‘Not yet. I’m not done.’ Hell, she sure knew how to drive a hard bargain. ‘So that’s why you two are at each other’s throats?’

‘Yeah. Yes, it is.’ She didn’t need to know the rest of his ancient history. It was easier to finish it there.

She cupped his cheek and smiled, although there was still a slice of distrust simmering in her eyes. But somehow she just knew when he was holding back. And somehow she knew when to stop needling him. ‘Just so you know, I’m glad the rumours weren’t true. I never thought you’d do something like that.’

‘Good.’ Finally. ‘So where were we?’

Placing a finger to her lip, she thought. ‘Commitment’s bad, but talking is...?’

Clearly not a good idea. ‘Oh, but there’s all kinds of talking...’ He kept his arms round her as he guided her to the kitchen in a kind of klutzy waltz, hoping to lighten the mood,