An Irresistible Bachelor(65)

"No. I ended the engagement today. I'm trying to do the right thing by you."

Her eyes shot to his. "What did you say? "

"I said I ended my engagement." He put some distance between them and pushed a hand through his hair. When three feet didn't feel far enough, he went back over to the doorway.

There was a long, tight silence. "Is it really over? Between the two of you?"

"Yeah. It's done."

"Why." The word wasn't posed as a question. It was a quiet demand.

Jack sensed his answer would in some way determine their future, so he spoke with care, wishing he could trust himself more. He was liable to be persuasive when she deserved unadulterated honesty.

"I never loved her. I knew that going into it. I thought respect and friendship would be enough, but meeting you made me realize what I was missing."

Her voice dropped to a whisper. "And what was that?"

He laughed harshly, thinking he should shut his f*cking mouth. He'd had too much to drink to have such a tricky conversation. God only knew what might come out of him. There was no way she'd take him seriously, for instance, if he told her he loved her.

And those three words were right on the tip of his tongue.

No, he needed to start slowly. Give her a chance to consider him as something other than a pendulum between extremes.

"Don't ask me to explain anything right now. Especially how I feel," he said. "I'm not all that articulate tonight."

"Maybe you should give it a try anyway." She leaned back against the countertop, as if she needed the support.

When he stayed quiet, she said, "I can't believe I'm going to ask you this. But Jack, where are we headed?"

He thought of his friend bending down and kissing her.

"You mind if I ask about Gray?" he said darkly.

She flushed. "He's not for me."

"But I thought he was smart and handsome and likable." God, he hated those words.

"So are a lot of men. That doesn't mean I want to date them."

Jack laughed shortly.

"Well then, I've recently become available and have nothing to do with at least two of those traits. I've shown some moments of true stupidity in the last couple of weeks and you've certainly spent some time disliking me—for very good reasons, I might add. As for the handsome part, I can't comment." Feeling like an ass, he shook his head. "Oh, hell. Just so you know, I'm not making any sense right now."

Callie smiled softly. "That's okay. I kind of like you when you're a little off-kilter."

Jack stared into her eyes.

He couldn't believe it, but she was looking at him warmly. The tension in her shoulders told him she was still wary, but the openness in her face suggested he might unexpectedly have a chance to be with her.

"God, Callie. I just want to be with you," he said, trying to find the right words. "Badly. And now. You're the only woman who's ever made me feel like this and I just want a shot with you. I know I've screwed a lot of things up, but I want to try and make you happy. Hell, I want to make you promises, even though I can't expect you to believe in them considering—everything about me."

He shut up. She didn't need to hear any more gory details about his failures in monogamy.

"That's okay," she said, startling him. "I don't need promises. I'm not looking for a fantasy."

Jack felt a surge of hope and clung to it. "Look, I know I'm not the best bet if you're looking for a relationship."

"You don't say. And here I was, already planning the wedding."

He studied her for a long moment. The small smile she was wearing was enough to melt him.

He wanted to reach out to her, but restrained himself. "You, ah, you make me believe in things I used to make fun of."

"As in Santa Claus?" she said, eyes glowing.

Jack smiled back. "I'm talking about love. Forever after."

Her face changed, some of the pleasure draining away. "Don't say that. Not right now."

He opened his mouth, but shut it when she moved away from the counter. She took one step, and then another, and then she was walking over to him.

"I don't want to talk," she murmured, huskily.

And Jack's body just about detonated.

Through eyes wide with disbelief and gratitude, he watched her come toward him, seeing all that red hair, those hips, her tiny waist. She moved like she knew what she was doing and it had very little to do with just crossing the room. She also seemed a little shy, chewing on her lip as her eyes bounced from his face to his chest and back again.