infatuation.
She’d changed—of course she had—but sometimes it seemed like she’d turned into a completely different person in the process of growing up.
Yet in those moments when he thought she’d changed so much, he could see glimpses of the girl he’d known. He’d thought she was funny then too, but swear words hadn’t been part of her vocabulary. At least not in calculus class, which was the only time he’d had much chance to talk to her.
Maya knew he’d had a crush on her. She hadn’t known back in grade twelve—a result of him being far too chicken to tell her, though he’d come close. But when they reconnected, he was no longer the shy boy he’d been, and it was easy to talk about the past.
“In high school, I thought you were sweet and cheerful and smart and beautiful,” he said. It was the sort of thing they laughed about now.
“Sweet and cheerful. Oh, the horror.”
“You were more optimistic, too.”
“It’s hard to be less optimistic than I am now.”
But he knew that part of her remained, even if just a little. If she were truly hopeless, she wouldn’t bother dating, and she wouldn’t smile when a guy called her back.
None of his previous romantic affection for her remained, however. They’d recently had sex, and now that they were done, he didn’t feel the need to pull her close and hold her all night.
But pulling her close and sliding inside her once more…
Liam was still an optimist, and maybe this date with Tyler would be all unicorns and flowers and rainbows, and this was the last time he would be in bed with Maya Gregory.
So he’d take advantage of it.
He lifted up the bottom of her tank top.
“I don’t know why you put this back on,” he murmured.
Chapter 2
Maya sat alone at a table in South Plate, a glass of some kind of bourbon cocktail in front of her. It was just after seven. Tyler should be here any minute. As she waited for him, she went over her disastrous dating history.
Yeah, that was exactly the way to psych herself up for a date.
When she was younger, she’d had a thing for bad boys. Men she thought she’d be able to change but couldn’t. After she dumped a guy when he refused to shut down his dog-fighting ring, she decided she was done with that. Five bad boys? That was enough.
Not that it turned out any better with “normal” guys.
Her next boyfriend was an accountant, just like she was. Good , she thought. Nice and boring . He seemed like a decent guy, but six months into their relationship, he was fired for stealing from his employer.
Then she figured that if she wanted a boyfriend who obeyed the law, a policeman would be a good way to go. Justin even gave talks at middle schools about drugs and peer pressure. He couldn’t be a criminal, could he?
After two years, he proposed to her, and she said yes. Everything was wonderful…until he cheated on her with his neighbor. But he was so, so sorry and promised it would never happen again. She stupidly believed him.
Then she saw his picture on the front page of the paper when he was arrested for dealing crack. That was it. She was taking a break from men. What was it about her that seemed to attract criminals?
Maya looked at her empty glass and then at her watch. Tyler was ten minutes late.
Maybe he was cooking meth in his basement. Maybe he was waiting for a big shipment of crack that was behind schedule. Or maybe he was buying his wife diamond earrings before having dinner with Maya and pretending to be single.
She sighed. Given her dating history, none of these possibilities seemed all that far-fetched.
“Can I get you another drink?” the waiter asked.
“Uhh…sure,” Maya said.
When her drink arrived, she took a large swallow and pulled out her phone.
He’s still not here , she texted Kristy.
There could be traffic or a subway delay , Kristy said. Wait a little longer.
Maya checked the TTC website. No subway problems. Damn.
She felt ridiculous. Her date was fifteen
She’d changed—of course she had—but sometimes it seemed like she’d turned into a completely different person in the process of growing up.
Yet in those moments when he thought she’d changed so much, he could see glimpses of the girl he’d known. He’d thought she was funny then too, but swear words hadn’t been part of her vocabulary. At least not in calculus class, which was the only time he’d had much chance to talk to her.
Maya knew he’d had a crush on her. She hadn’t known back in grade twelve—a result of him being far too chicken to tell her, though he’d come close. But when they reconnected, he was no longer the shy boy he’d been, and it was easy to talk about the past.
“In high school, I thought you were sweet and cheerful and smart and beautiful,” he said. It was the sort of thing they laughed about now.
“Sweet and cheerful. Oh, the horror.”
“You were more optimistic, too.”
“It’s hard to be less optimistic than I am now.”
But he knew that part of her remained, even if just a little. If she were truly hopeless, she wouldn’t bother dating, and she wouldn’t smile when a guy called her back.
None of his previous romantic affection for her remained, however. They’d recently had sex, and now that they were done, he didn’t feel the need to pull her close and hold her all night.
But pulling her close and sliding inside her once more…
Liam was still an optimist, and maybe this date with Tyler would be all unicorns and flowers and rainbows, and this was the last time he would be in bed with Maya Gregory.
So he’d take advantage of it.
He lifted up the bottom of her tank top.
“I don’t know why you put this back on,” he murmured.
Chapter 2
Maya sat alone at a table in South Plate, a glass of some kind of bourbon cocktail in front of her. It was just after seven. Tyler should be here any minute. As she waited for him, she went over her disastrous dating history.
Yeah, that was exactly the way to psych herself up for a date.
When she was younger, she’d had a thing for bad boys. Men she thought she’d be able to change but couldn’t. After she dumped a guy when he refused to shut down his dog-fighting ring, she decided she was done with that. Five bad boys? That was enough.
Not that it turned out any better with “normal” guys.
Her next boyfriend was an accountant, just like she was. Good , she thought. Nice and boring . He seemed like a decent guy, but six months into their relationship, he was fired for stealing from his employer.
Then she figured that if she wanted a boyfriend who obeyed the law, a policeman would be a good way to go. Justin even gave talks at middle schools about drugs and peer pressure. He couldn’t be a criminal, could he?
After two years, he proposed to her, and she said yes. Everything was wonderful…until he cheated on her with his neighbor. But he was so, so sorry and promised it would never happen again. She stupidly believed him.
Then she saw his picture on the front page of the paper when he was arrested for dealing crack. That was it. She was taking a break from men. What was it about her that seemed to attract criminals?
Maya looked at her empty glass and then at her watch. Tyler was ten minutes late.
Maybe he was cooking meth in his basement. Maybe he was waiting for a big shipment of crack that was behind schedule. Or maybe he was buying his wife diamond earrings before having dinner with Maya and pretending to be single.
She sighed. Given her dating history, none of these possibilities seemed all that far-fetched.
“Can I get you another drink?” the waiter asked.
“Uhh…sure,” Maya said.
When her drink arrived, she took a large swallow and pulled out her phone.
He’s still not here , she texted Kristy.
There could be traffic or a subway delay , Kristy said. Wait a little longer.
Maya checked the TTC website. No subway problems. Damn.
She felt ridiculous. Her date was fifteen
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