Big Easy Temptation (The Perfect Gentlemen #3)(77)

How could she miss something she’d never really had? She’d dated Chad for so much longer. Yet with the exception of the humiliating Internet video, she couldn’t single out a memorable moment they’d shared. Being alone again had been a guilty relief.

Despite the fourteen months she’d spent with Chad, they’d never gotten around to moving in together. Never even talked about it. Dax had practically moved in the night he’d returned to her.

She had to wonder if he wasn’t re-creating the damn scenario. He’d fallen asleep that first night on her couch and the night before he’d positioned himself right back there again.

How long would she really be able to hold out when she already wanted him so badly?

She heard a knock on her door. Muttering a little curse, she swore once again she would change the downstairs code. This time she looked through the peephole, anticipating that Gemma or someone else from work had come to ask why the holy hell she was now on a presidential task force of two.

Nope. It was so much worse.

With a long sigh, she opened the door. “Hello, Chad.”

Chad Michaels stood in her doorway, his suit pressed to perfection. Somehow he managed to look neat even in the heat of a New Orleans morning. Her hair was already curling, but his blond perfection was ruthlessly gelled back in a sleek do. “Holland. I’ve heard some very distressing rumors and I wanted to stop by to check in on you.”

He stepped into her apartment without an invitation.

“This is really not a good time.” She wasn’t sure how the hell she was going to explain the man in the bathroom. Unfortunately, unlike Chad, Dax’s grooming routine didn’t take an hour. Dax pretty much showered and brushed his teeth and called it good. Chad could spend hours on his man moisturizer and plucking invisible hairs from his brows.

Why had she slept with him?

He smiled down at her and she could smell his powerful cologne. “You didn’t change the code to the stairway. Someone’s having second thoughts, I think.”

“Yes, I am definitely having second thoughts about changing the code.” She would do it the minute she got rid of him.

He chuckled. “I pushed you too hard. It was too fast. Everyone knows I go after what I want. That works for me most of the time. I didn’t mean to upset you. I think we should talk. We both said a few things we didn’t mean last week.”

She couldn’t think of a single thing she hadn’t meant. “I only said no. I meant that, Chad. Look, I’m so sorry I turned you down in such a public manner. I would never have willingly humiliated you. But you didn’t exactly consult me beforehand. I never gave you any indication that I wanted to marry you.”

She’d been floored, utterly caught off guard that he’d been even thinking about a long-term future. Holland had barely considered where they would go for their next date night.

“You’re not ready to get married,” he allowed. “I talked to Dr. Jansen about my feelings and I really worked some things out. It took a while. I’ve been in session every day since you turned me down. It’s cost me a lot, but it’s brought me here. Holland, I forgive you.”

“That’s awesome.” The dude spent entirely too much time with his overpriced therapist. How did Chad even afford him? “But I think we should end things here, on a positive note. Forgiveness is good. It’s time for both of us to move on. Thanks for stopping by.”

Any minute, Dax would step out and this would blow up in her face if she couldn’t convince Chad to go.

Despite the fact that she’d opened the door, Chad didn’t move an inch. “According to Dr. Jansen, your fear of intimacy and your inability to commit stem from your childhood experiences. I understand that now. Let’s start over. I’ve made an appointment with Dr. Jansen for you this afternoon. Even your uncle agrees that you should see someone.”

She felt her jaw drop and slammed the door. “You talked to my uncle about this?”

He watched her with a sickening sympathy on his face. “Your uncle understands that I’m good for you. Your refusal last week was part of a need to play out your own mother’s unhappiness. It was an irrational decision and one you should explore in therapy. I think once you acknowledge that you’re allowing your past to hamstring you, we can get back on track.”

“Let me tell you something, buddy. If I wanted to play out my mother’s unhappiness, I would find the nearest superhot, emotionally unavailable Naval officer and go to town.” Yes, now she was remembering all the reasons she and Chad weren’t compatible. He could be a sanctimonious douche nozzle.

“I understand your reluctance.” He frowned as he paced deeper into her apartment and glanced at the bar. “Really? Wine and hard liquor? Have you been doing this all week? And pizza? You know what carbs after noon can do to you. This is more self-destructive behavior.”

“Ah, the whiskey is mine and I helped her on the pizza. I actually encouraged her to eat. She’s getting a little skinny,” a familiar voice said.

Damn it to hell. Holland shook her head and turned, praying the situation didn’t look as bad as she feared. Nope. It was so much worse. Dax stood there wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his lean waist, his chest all muscled and perfect. He carried a second towel, which he rubbed over his wet head.

“Captain, why don’t you go and get dressed?” She managed to bite the words out, her whole body flaming with embarrassment.