Third Chances (Men Of Manhattan #2) - Ivy Smoak Page 0,56

into something deep again. Maybe I'd try to get her to blush instead. I liked seeing her blush even more than seeing her smile. "I mean it."

Her cheeks turned rosy and I felt my dick swell even more in my pants. What the fuck was this girl doing to me? I felt like a teenager with no control over my hormones.

She laughed and looked away from me. "I know you're just messing with me."

"I'm not messing with you. Have you ever even looked in a mirror?"

She laughed again. "You're a total schmoozer, Rob Hunter. Ask me something important. Something that matters."

Deep. Again. Why couldn't we just have a flirtatious conversation without her trying to get to know me? Because you said you wanted more, you jackass. I thought back to her saying she wanted what my brother had. I had just been thinking the same thing earlier today. "Have you ever been in love?"

"No. I haven't. Not in the way you're asking anyway."

I understood that. I loved my family and friends. I loved Penny, who for some reason didn't quite fit into either of those categories. But all of that was different.

"Have you?" she asked.

"No," I said. "Not really."

"Ask me something else."

"What does love mean to you?" I wasn't sure why I asked her that question. It just kind of popped out.

She seemed surprised by my question. She looked down at her hands for a second and then back up at me. "It's about patience and taking the time to truly know someone. And when the right person comes along, it will be totally worth the wait." There was something sad in her eyes. Like she didn't even believe what she was saying. Maybe because she hadn't found it yet. Maybe because she had tried and failed. Maybe because what she just said was complete bullshit.

I had never really tried to find love. I constantly pushed women away, preferring the tidiness of one night stands. But I knew what love was. Daphne, however, didn't understand it at all.

"Patience? Really?" I said. "That isn't love. Patience is something you have for a toddler that won't stop crying." I barely had any patience.

She laughed. "It's a waiting game. And I'm being patient until the right guy comes along and then I'll be patient as I learn all about him and see if we truly are compatible. It's all about patience."

"It's not about patience. It's about passion."

She stared at me for a second. There was something in her eyes that I couldn't quite read. She laughed awkwardly. "You're wrong."

I raised my eyebrow. "I don't think so, beautiful."

"Passion can build. It can be one of the things that patience brings. You have to get to know each other first. That's the whole point of building a relationship."

"Passion like we have doesn't build. It's instantaneous."

"And that's what love is to you? Just passion? Like what we have? Does that mean you're in love with me, Rob?" She batted her eyelashes at me.

Damn. She was good. But I was better. "It means I have the potential to fall in love with you because of said passion."

She rolled her eyes.

Oh God I wanted to spank her. I wanted to do more than spank her, but right now I just craved my palm on her bare ass. She was so incredibly naive. And charming. And sexy as hell. I put my hand back on her thigh. Now that I knew she felt the heat between us, it was even harder to control myself.

Patience? Screw patience. I trailed my fingers up her thigh, relishing the softness of her skin. "Patience isn't fun, Daphne. Patience is torture. Patience is something you hold onto when there is no spark. Wouldn't you agree?" My fingers stopped at the top of her thigh. She hadn't resisted at all as my hand slid under her skirt. I wasn't going to touch her. No matter how much I wanted to. I just wanted her to admit that I was right.

She shook her head. Apparently she wouldn't abandon her horrible belief about love in order to experience the most mind blowing orgasm of her life. Yes, with just my fingers.

"You can't deny that we have chemistry," I said.

"It's not about a physical connection." Her words were slow. She was clearly consumed by lust. Consumed by me. "It's about an emotional one."

"Yet, you've only known me for a day and you want me to touch you. That's passion. That's the key. This undeniable heat." I ran my