“What the—”
Lindsay rushed out, “I want you to keep it.”
He stepped back, hands curling and uncurling as anger swept through his bloodstream until he saw red. After the intimacies they’d shared, after talking and getting to know each other on another level, how could she turn around and do something like this?
What made her think he was the kind of guy who would take money from her? Goddammit. And what the fuck was it for, services rendered? Lord, he’d never felt so used, so prostituted in his life.
“You can use it for your prep course.”
Jesus, did he seem that shallow? That he’d mooch off her. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
Her eyes narrowed, confused.
“Lindsay, Christ.” He stumbled over his words and took a distancing step backwards. It felt like she was paying him off. To leave nicely. A thank-you for the good times. Wham, bam, thank you, handyman.
Incredulous, he looked at her for a long moment and then tossed the money onto the bench. The same bench where he’d made love to her and thought they’d made an emotional connection.
“Keep your money. My services were free.”
Before she had time to speak, he shoved the door open. It hit the wall with a thud and nearly ripped off its hinges. He stormed out the door and, without so much as a backward glance, flew down the staircase. Too bad his heart hadn’t come with him.
The sound of his heavy work boots reverberated through the hallway as he hastily sailed through the house and made his way to his truck. He shoved the key into the ignition, but the goddamned thing wouldn’t turn over.
“Now what,” he said, slamming his hand on the steering wheel. He pushed his door open and climbed from the driver’s seat. After popping the hood, he examined his battery.
“Having trouble, Brad?”
He angled his head to see Pamina behind him. He didn’t have time for this, not when he just wanted to get the fuck out of Dodge.
“It won’t turn over,” he bit out and immediately berated himself for snapping. Pamina wasn’t the one he was angry with and he had no right to take it out on her. The truth was, he was pissed with Lindsay and with himself. Pissed with her because she didn’t want more from him, and pissed with himself because he’d allowed himself to believe there was a possibility she would. When the fuck would he learn that women wanted him for a good romp and nothing else?
She touched his arm, and he turned to face her. “Do you love her?”
At first that question took him by surprise, but then it occurred to him his actions were pretty transparent. “It doesn’t matter.”
“I can’t blame you for loving her. She’s a very special girl.”
He narrowed his gaze, wondering where this was heading.
“I guess it makes one curious why such a special girl like her is still single.”
That thought had crossed his mind a time or two, or a thousand.
She lowered her voice. “Well between us, Brad, Lindsay has sworn off men. She doesn’t want anything more to do with relationships.”
His stomach clenched. Fuck, he already knew Lindsay was just in it for the ride, he didn’t need Pamina reminding him.
Pamina tsked and shook her head. “Such a shame, really. It seems that all the men in her life had been eager to mooch off her, eager to separate her from her money. A few months back, she’d had enough of it and had given up on the opposite sex.”
His mind raced, remembering their conversation over lunch. Him telling her he needed money for his exams. Obviously she thought he was looking for something from her, the same way every other man had. But after everything they shared, he thought she’d have known him better than that, thought she’d seen him as something different.
“I guess it would take a pretty special guy to get her to trust again. And if she ever offered a man money, it would merely be her way of showing she trusted, she cared. It’d be a big leap of faith on her part, don’t you think?”
Brad stilled. Oh shit. He hadn’t seen that coming.
Numb and a bit confused, Lindsay watched him go. Okay, that hadn’t gone quite as planned.
Just then Candace and Anna came racing in from their rooms. Candace reached her first. “What’s going on? I heard a bang? Are you okay?”
Stomach in knots, Lindsay said, “I don’t think so.”
Anna wrapped her arms around her waist. “You’re so pale.” She touched Lindsay’s forehead. “Are you sick?”
When she shook her head, Candace and Anna exchanged a worried look.
With kid gloves, Anna walked her toward the door, Candace tight on their heels. “Come on, let’s get you some water.”
They led her to the kitchen and once she was seated with a glass of ice water in front of her, Candace plunked down in the chair beside her. “What’s going on?”
She wrung her hands together. “I just gave Brad a shitload of money.”
Anna pulled a chair up beside her and kept her tone soft. “Are you kidding me, Lindsay?”
“Afraid not.”
“Holy shit! Why did you do that?” Candace asked, eyes wide in total shock.
She shrugged. “He needed the money.”
Candace threw her head back in disbelief. “So once again a guy has managed to schmooze you and separate you from your money.”
Anna cut Candace a stern glance. “Don’t be so hard on her.”
Candace ignored Anna. “So now that he’s got your money, he’s gone, right? Good Lord, when are you going to learn the kinds of guys you attract are lazy bastards who simply want to mooch off you.”
“Don’t talk about him like that, Candace. He’s not like other guys. He’s a hard worker and he takes care of his family.” She lowered her voice. “He’s really wonderful. And he didn’t even take the money.”
“Oh boy,” Anna piped in.
Lindsay and Candace turned to face her. “What?” they said in unison.
“Lindsay, do you realize what
