because, it seemed Sully was right. Humans couldn’t be trusted. This man probably had a doting wife at home who believed he was at some work conference. We were all liars and selfish to our own gains…over other’s misfortune and pain.
At least my temper gave me my voice back. Squaring my shoulders, I replied, “Do you honestly care how I am?”
He flinched, dropping his gaze awkwardly to the sand.
Was I expected to ask about his welfare? To be grateful? Did Sully have a handbook on how a goddess was to treat a guest after Euphoria? Because in my mind, this man had taken all he’d get from me last night. Today, I hadn’t been forced to drink a drug or have my senses stolen from me.
Today, I wasn’t for sale.
I have another week until I’m up for rent again.
The morbid thought made me want to laugh for no other reason than helplessness. How many did Sully say I’d have to sleep with? One-hundred-and-ninety-two?
I still have one-hundred-and-ninety to go.
I sighed heavily, wrenching the guy’s gaze back to mine. He no longer looked at me with rosy-coloured afterglow but an honest, raw expression that made my stomach tighten.
“Look, I know you’ll think low of me. After all, I paid money to enjoy your company. I’m probably over double your age. And you most likely didn’t enjoy our night together as much as I did.” He rubbed a hand over his mouth. “But…I need you to know that I enjoyed every minute of it. I loved how eager you were. How receptive. How damn beautiful you are. I know your participation came from the serum Sinclair has created but I just wanted to say you gave me something I’ve been missing since my wife died ten years ago.”
I froze as his voice wobbled without warning.
He smiled even as tears wetted his eyes. “Fuck.” Swiping away his grief, he added, “Sorry, I don’t know why the hell talking about her is affecting me so much. It’s been years but…after last night…it reminded me just how much I miss female company. How much I miss being touched and touching someone. How much I miss looking after someone.”
I flinched as he strode toward me and took my hand.
I wanted to pull away, but the imploring look on his face made me pause. He didn’t strike me as evil or that I was at risk of being made to sleep with him again while alone on this sandy laneway. He honestly looked lost. Lost, alone, and terribly sad.
“Do you judge me for my fantasy?” His eyes tightened. “That you were in the role of my son’s girlfriend?”
I wriggled my fingers in his, trying to get away. I couldn’t exactly tell the truth, but I wouldn’t lie, either. Then again, why couldn’t I tell him the truth? Hopefully, he was leaving tonight, and we’d never see each other again.
Pinning him with a cool stare, I said, “Yes, I judge you. Why have such a fantasy if it’s not based on truth? Why fantasise about your son’s girlfriend? If you miss your wife like you say, then why not fantasise about her?”
He sighed, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles. Unlike when Sully touched me, I had no sizzle, no spark. Just the annoying stroking of a man who carried far more baggage than his happy-go-lucky veneer suggested. He needed a therapist, not a goddess.
“I think about my wife constantly.” He shrugged. “But I don’t think about her when she died. I remember her how she was when we first met. Young. Vulnerable. Trusting and full of unconditional affection. Unfortunately…my daughter-in-law looks very similar to my wife… with the same blind devotion.”
“Devotion to your son. Not you.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“It’s abhorrent to lust after your son’s partner.” My nose wrinkled. “What sort of father does that make you?
“A bad one.” He flinched. “I’m aware it’s a disgusting confession. But you have to understand, my son met his girlfriend on the two-year anniversary of my wife’s death. When he brought her around, I almost fell to my knees thinking my Jody had been reincarnated in her. Watching them fall in love, seeing how much they cared for each other, being forced to realise that I would never have that with my wife again…it…” He sighed again. “It scrambled me a little. I witnessed them falling in love and went along for the ride. I fell for my daughter-in-law, not because I loved her exactly, but because I loved what she would