I could have any woman I want. I could walk downstairs, find a woman, say some things, smile, and she’d come willingly. But not this one. Most of the time I’m quite certain she hates me. The rest of the time I feel her attraction to me, but it’s drenched in the suspicion that she wouldn’t piss on me if I were on fire.

Mental note: Have Detective Grady do a full background check on Miss Sommers. I’d like to know who she is.

“And stop acting like I’m this boring little china doll,” she spits. “You, Mr. Fox, don’t know dick about me either. But I’m not a coward. I’ll answer any question you ask.”

“Fine. You want to tell secrets, Grimm? You want to do each other’s nails and cry to each other about why we’re so fucked up? Let’s do it. What did he do? Tell me what your ex did that was so bad you’ve treated me like I’m dipped in shit since the moment we met.”

“Aleck, you’re not innocent. When we met you were about to have sex with two—”

“So? So what? I have a healthy sexual appetite. They were two consenting women. You didn’t know me, so why did you care? And why was no women in our suite your bargaining chip, anyway? Why didn’t you ask me to stop calling you Grimm for the closet space?”

“Because...” Her chest rises and falls as she drags air through her plump little lips and exhales like she’s cursing me under her breath. “Because…”

“Because why?”

“Because it reminded me of walking into my ex’s office and finding his secretary’s mouth wrapped around his dick. That’s why!”

Shit.

Asshole cheated on her. I’ve never been hurt in that way because I’ve never committed to a person in my life, but I can imagine the mistrust following that kind of deception would be hard to get over. Even for a woman as tough as Winter. Especially for a woman as passionate as Winter.

“How long were you together?”

“Three years. Then he broke up with me.”

My eyebrows dip immediately. “Wait… You caught him cheating, but he dumped you?”

Winter puts the lid back on the ice cream, deciding for the both of us that we’re done eating, then hops off the counter, and puts it back in the freezer. She snatches the spoon from my hand, throws both hers and mine in the sink, then leans against the counter across from me.

“Pathetic, right? I caught him cheating, then found out it wasn’t the only time. He begged me not to break up with him because he still loved me, so I didn’t. I was such a stupid romantic. I was the kind of person who thought love always wins. I thought we couldn’t have forever if we didn’t allow each other room to screw up, so I forgave him. He broke up with me two months later. And honestly, now that the pain has passed, and it’s been replaced with anger, I can admit I always knew. I knew he didn’t love me. I guess that’s what kept me there, my inherent need to heal the strays of their self-inflicted wounds. Jokes on me, huh?”