Flip This Love by Maggie Wells Page B

her for not turning tail. Damn it, for all she knew he was some kind of goddamn psycho stalker.
    “I’m not a psycho stalker.” As far as successful lines went, Harley had to give himself low marks for that one. If there was one thing he knew about women, it was it rarely paid off if you used the truth as your opening ante.
    She topped the final step and stopped a safe ten feet away. “So you say, but the evidence to the contrary is starting to pile up.”
    “I know.” He pulled one hand free from his pocket and scrubbed away the wave of weariness swamping him. “I have a couple things to say, then I’ll go.”
    “Okay.” She raised an eyebrow to match the skepticism in her tone. “What do you have to say?”
    “I’m sorry I left like I did.” He blurted the apology. “I knew I was going. I should have told you I was going. The way I treated you was lower than low,” he continued, warming up to the subject matter. “But to be honest with you, I was pissed off and frustrated.”
    This time her jaw dropped in sheer disbelief, but she recovered quickly. “Because I slept with you?”
    “Because you jerked my chain for so long. Because you danced around me like one of those harem girls for God knows how many months, then you’d shut me down.”
    “Harem girl?”
    “You made me crazy. Christ, Delaney, how was I supposed to know you were going to finally go through with it that night?”
    “So not telling me you were leaving town was some kind of payback?”
    “No! It was some kind of chicken shit.” He hurled the words at her. “I wanted you so bad I was too chicken to tell you I was going before I slept with you. I thought maybe you’d change your mind, and I’m enough of a selfish bastard to do whatever it took to get in your bed.” He threw his hands up in disgust. “There! Is that what you wanted to hear?”
    “Not really.”
    “I was scared. Does that make you feel better?”
    She crossed her arms over her chest and cocked a hip, an all-too-familiar sneer marring her gorgeous mouth. “I figured that out already, but it’s nice to know you used your time in the land of fruits and nuts to become so self-aware.”
    “Oh, I’m aware, all right.” Planting his hands on his hips, he took a single step forward, then leaned in a bit to close some of the distance without completely invading her space. “I’m aware absolutely nothing has changed for me. I still want everything I wanted when I left, including you, for some odd reason.”
    “Get over it,” she shot back.
    This time, it was his turn to curl his lip at her. “You don’t think I want to? You don’t think I tried?”
    “Try harder.”
    The challenge struck him like a glove across the face. The heat of anger drained from his blood, leaving only tepid resignation pulsing through his veins. “Is that what you want? Truly?”
    She blinked, and suddenly those big, dark eyes were luminous with unshed tears. “I’m tired, Harley. I don’t have the energy to fight with you.”
    “Yeah.” Swallowing the boulder stuck in his throat, he nodded. “Okay, yeah. Okay.” He waved a hand toward the stairs. “I’ll just...”
    She stepped aside, flattening her back against her doorjamb as he passed. When the heel of his boot hit the first tread, he heard her whisper his name. He stilled but didn’t turn to look at her. He couldn’t. He was afraid he’d bumble and stammer and everything he wanted to say to her would come out in moron. Better to keep quiet and listen. Really listen.
    “I don’t know how to handle you,” she admitted at last. “I’m not sure I have what it takes.”
    He turned to look at her over his shoulder. “Sugar, you’ve been handling me for years. I’m not sure I can take much more of it.”
    “Something has to give,” she whispered.
    Gritting his teeth, he sucked air in between them. “Here’s my final offer,” he said at last, his voice gruff with the weight of what he needed to say. “I’ll give