“This is nice.”

“It is.”

She raised her glass. “Thank you for indulging me.”

“Thank you for driving all this way.”

“I wanted to see you.”

That was heartening, he thought. But she’d burned him before, so he wasn’t as trusting as he could have been.

“What are you thinking?” She asked. “You got very fierce for a second.”

“I was wondering what you want from me.”

He hadn’t meant to say that, but refused to call the words back.

“Aside from champagne?” she asked, her voice teasing.

“Aside from that.”

She sipped from her glass then set it on the coffee table. “The honest answer is I don’t know exactly. I like you. I like being with you. I like thinking about you.”

All good things, he told himself. “But?”

“Yes, but. This terrifies me.” She waved between them. “You and me. Dating.” She swallowed hard. “Sex.”

“Are we going to have sex at some point?”

Her eyes dilated slightly. She reached for her champagne, then dropped her hand to her lap.

“I’d like to.”

The whispered words had his dick stirring. He told himself and his wayward anatomy not to get any hopes up. Talk was cheap and Unity had issues.

“But,” he said again.

“I don’t know what the rules are. What I’m allowed to do.”

“There aren’t any rules except for the ones we make up.”

She surprised him by nodding.

“That’s what I’ve been thinking, too. That I’m following rules I don’t even know exist. I’m trying to change that.”

“What about Stuart? You don’t want to lose him.”

“He’s already gone.”

“Not for you.”

Her eyes widened. “Is that what you think? That he’s still with me?”

“Every day. He’s a part of you.”

“Do you think I’m ever going to get over him?” she asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Then why do you want to be with me? Thinking I’m still in love with him would be awful for you.”

“It’s not my favorite,” he admitted.

He wasn’t usually so honest in his conversations, but with her, he didn’t hold back. He had no idea why—maybe it was like the chemistry. It simply was.

She leaned toward him. “I don’t want to hurt you. I know that. I like you and I want us to be together.”

“I want to believe you.”

She nodded. “I’m sure my weird behavior doesn’t help with that.”

Not anything they needed to talk about. “What do you want from me?” he asked again. “Am I your transition guy? The one to get you over losing Stuart so you can move on with your life?”

Her eyes widened in obvious surprise. “I would never do that to you,” she said with enough sincerity that he believed her.

“Then what? Why are you here? Wouldn’t it be easier to never see me again?”

He had no idea why he was pushing her like this. He supposed he wanted answers. Having her reject him and mean it would be painful, but then he could get going on recovering. Their current almost-relationship was punishing in its uncertainty. He was a man who liked to know what was going on.