“Um—” She cut herself off because she had no idea what to say. He was looking at her the way he always did. With his brows in a V, his complicated eyes layered with concern and caring. Why wasn’t he recoiling from her? “I just feel a little off. Now that we’re, ah, sober.”

He went perfectly still. Mary got the strange feeling like she’d just dumped a bucket of ice water over his head, but she wasn’t exactly sure why.

He was silent for a long moment, and then he cleared his throat. “Things are looking different to you in the morning, huh?”

That was exactly right. The biggest “thing” looking different was namely her.

“Sort of?” she said. His eyes were tracking around her bedroom, catching on this and that. After a moment, his gaze landed on her face and skittered away. He sat up and rolled to the other side of the bed, dragging a hand over his face.

“Right,” he muttered. “Right.”

He stood up and went to the bathroom. Mary sat up as well. She wanted to change her clothes, but God forbid he come back midchange. It would be just her luck if he caught her pulling the underwear out of her ass right about now. No, thank you.

She sat on the edge of her bed and cupped her elbows, feeling utterly wretched.

“I just want to make sure I’m clear on this, all right?” He spoke from the doorway and she stood and turned, the bed in between them.

His eyes, for the first time ever, cast down her body and back up. She’d been waiting and waiting for him to do that to her, to be the recipient of that appraisal, but now that it was happening, she hated it. With the morning light beaming in on her, her hair in a rat’s nest and last night’s dress wrinkled and loose, she didn’t feel sexy and desired. She felt diminished and exposed.

“You’re saying,” he said slowly, as if he were painstakingly gathering each word, “that you wanted to sleep with me last night, while we were drunk. But now, in the morning light, you’re feeling differently?”

That was exactly how she was feeling. She didn’t answer aloud; apparently her face did that for her.

His eyes widened as he took in her expression. “Wow,” he whispered, taking a step back from her. “Wow. I’m such an idiot.”

He turned on his heel and disappeared from the doorway.

Mary stood there for a moment, a frown on her face. Wait. Why had he just called himself an idiot?

She strode after him, even though she wanted to pull her bedcovers over her head and not come out until the next day.