She shook her head. “I’m not sure if you can.”

He drew in a deep breath, refusing to believe that. “Will you let me at least try? You believe we could never have what we once had. I think you’re wrong. In fact, I think we can have something bigger and better. We aren’t the same people. We’ve grown. We’ve changed. Matured. But the one thing for me that has remained constant is my love for you, Bryce. Even when I wanted to hate you. I tried but couldn’t.”

She gave an unladylike snort. “You could have fooled me.”

He heard the hurt in her voice. Little did she know the only person he’d been actually fooling was himself. “And I’ll regret doing so for the rest of my life.”

She licked her bottom lip, and as he watched her he couldn’t help but think that she was the only woman who had ever claimed his heart, and ever would.

“Why do we have to be so serious about anything? Why can’t we have a—”

“Casual affair?” He knew how her mind was working.

“Yes.”

He reached out and pressed the palm of his hand against her cheek. “I don’t think we can do casual. We could never be friends with benefits.”

She gave him a pointed look. “How do you know?”

“Trust me, I know. So will you let me try to win back your heart, Bryce?”

* * *

BRYCE NIBBLED ON her bottom lip again. Could she risk it? No one, not even Vashti, knew the pain she’d gone through, and it was pain she had survived only because she had made a promise to herself never to put herself in that position again. But when she thought about the time they’d spent together last weekend, and now in Boston, she felt sensuously giddy inside.

Kaegan had shown her that he had respect for her profession and had even allowed her to handle things in that meeting. And then a few hours ago, when her body had all but demanded its desire for him, she had conceded with no regrets. What she hadn’t counted on either time was her body’s need for him and only him. It was a deep, vicious physical thing that she wasn’t able to control.

Could they try again to regain what they’d lost? Did she want to even try? He had made a mistake but should she hold it against him forever when she claimed she had forgiven him? Forgiving didn’t necessarily mean reconciliation. Should she change her way of thinking for him? For them?

She studied his features—grown-up features that were more mature and intense, but as handsome as ever. The same features that she had gazed at while they’d made love. He’d always been able to take foreplay to a whole other level, but now he was so skilled at it. Just thinking about some of the ways he’d gotten her prepared filled her with immense heat.

And nothing they did was brief. The kisses or the lovemaking. He had a way of prolonging things and getting the most out of them. He gave multiple orgasms like there was nothing to them.