urge to throw it in frustration. Did she think he only wanted her for sex? What the fuck?
Or, worse, did she only want him for sex?
A quick glance at the screen revealed he still had five minutes before his next lesson began. His clients, a mother and daughter, were already waiting just outside the chain-link fence surrounding the courts, their eyes on him. He forced a smile in their direction, then turned his back to them to make the call.
Tess answered after the first ring. “Hi, Lucas.”
“Hey, Tess.” He didn’t have time to ease into the conversation. More than that, he couldn’t tolerate this level of uncertainty, not when it came to her. “I just listened to your message, and I get it. We can’t have sex tonight. Do you still want to see me? Or not?”
With his free hand, he pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut.
Dammit. That had come out a bit too blunt. A bit too demanding.
Her long silence in response seemed to indicate her agreement.
“Wow,” she finally said. “No flirty charm there, Karlsson. You’re losing your touch.”
He pinched harder and managed to grind out two words. “Tess. Please.”
“Tell me first.” The words were a challenge, their aggressive bravado only a little undermined by their shakiness. “Do you still want to get together tonight?”
She had to ask? To repeat himself: What the fuck?
“Of course I do.” The words emerged in a whisper, more pained than he’d anticipated. “When have I ever given you any indication I only want you for sex?”
Over the line, he could hear the rapid rush of her breath. “You haven’t. But we’ve known each other for less than a week, Lucas. How could I be sure?”
His frustration died at the reminder of how little time they’d actually spent in each other’s company. How little, in the end, they actually knew about one another, for all that she made him feel naked in every conceivable way when they were together.
“I guess you couldn’t. Which brings us back to my question.” His hand wasn’t entirely steady, and he tightened his grip on the phone. “Do you still want to see me?”
Yes, his greatest talents all involved his body and its capabilities. On the tennis court. In the bedroom. But the things she’d said to him on that overlook and during their night together…
For the first time in a while, he’d begun to believe he might have more to offer.
Maybe she’d been humoring him, though. Maybe she hadn’t meant a word. Maybe he’d been fooling himself.
“Yes.” Her answer was firm. Definite. “Yes. I do.”
As he finally exhaled, that ache in his chest disappeared.
She added, “Even though I’m kind of bloated. Also exhausted, since Mr. Perky didn’t let either of us get much sleep. When Belle said she wanted to do the guided tour of the blazing-hot gardens, I told her I would take a self-guided tour of this bench in the shade.”
Poor thing. His older sister, from what he remembered, had complained about bloating and cramps and tiredness the first couple days of her period too.
What had Annika done about that, anyway?
Turning back to his next clients—now visibly restless, shifting from foot to foot and staring at him—he held up a forefinger, tacitly requesting patience as he tried to remember Annika’s monthly rituals and their accompanying supplies.
Tampons. Over-the-counter painkillers. He couldn’t remember anything else.
“I’m sorry you’re hurting.” He kept his voice soft. “Do you have everything you need?”
She huffed out a small laugh. “Are you offering to buy me tampons? Real ones, not the nose variety?”
“Yeah.” Wouldn’t be the first time. Annika had assigned him that particular task more than once. “If you want tampons, I’ll get tampons. Or pads, or whatever. Do you need ibuprofen or acetaminophen?”
Another long silence.
When she finally spoke again, her voice was equally soft. “That’s such a sweet offer, Lucas. Thank you. I have what I need on the tampon front, and I always carry a bottle of ibuprofen in my purse. You don’t happen to own a heating pad, though, do you?”
Now he remembered. Annika had used one of those too.
Until last year, he’d owned several of them, and they’d seen him through recovery from his surgeries. But they’d gotten lost during the move to the resort, and since he hadn’t injured himself since, he hadn’t bothered to replace them.
“I’m sorry.” He was, genuinely. “I don’t have one anymore.”
“It’s okay. I’ll be fine without it.” For a moment, he could only hear the chirp of birds