One in a Million by Abby Gaines Page B

their relationship.
    He just needed to remember he was mad with her, so he could take the moral high ground, unfamiliar territory that he suspected she pretty much had staked out.
    â€œWe won’t be doing this kind of thing again,” he said.
    Her hands stilled where they’d been adjusting one of the straps of her dress. “You sound very sure about that.”
    â€œYou put my job in danger with that stuff you said to Gil this afternoon.”
    â€œYou did that,” she corrected him, “by going after a new job.”
    â€œYou made things worse,” he accused. “Who knows what that reporter will write?”
    â€œIt can’t be worse than what she planned to write anyway.”
    Eli might have known she wouldn’t give up without a fight. He had no choice but to be direct. “Jen, I’m ending our relationship.”
    She blinked. Then her hand went to her lips as if to confirm that, yes, the man who was now dumping her was the same one who’d kissed her a moment ago.
    Eli shifted on his feet. “I shouldn’t have kissed you,” he said quickly. “But you were there and I was there…I seized the moment.”
    Her eyes narrowed. “Are you saying that’s all that kiss was?”
    â€œThat’s right.” He sounded belligerent, so he toned it down. “Having you around will remind Gil how angry he is. The opposite of what I’m trying to achieve. The fake girlfriend routine isn’t working anymore. So, it’s over.”
    She stared at him for a long moment, then shook her head. “It’s too late for that, Eli.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?” he asked.
    â€œI care about you.” And as if that wasn’t bad enough, she added, “And you care about me.”
    Blood rushed at Eli’s temples. “No, I don’t.”
    â€œI know you like to keep your relationships short and saccharine-sweet,” she said. “But all that fake sugar isn’t good for you. You need to toughen up and try the real thing.”
    â€œI don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” But he was certain he didn’t like it.
    â€œYou’re afraid of being abandoned again,” she said, “the way your family abandoned you, over and over. But it doesn’t have to be like that.”
    A tight band constricted Eli’s throat, he couldn’t breathe. He tugged at his bow tie with both hands, and found air…just in time for Jen to land her sucker-punch.
    â€œAs of now, Eli, I’m your real girlfriend.”
    Â 
    J EN HADN’T INTENDED TO SAY that at all. But somehow, she knew it was the right thing. Not that Eli wanted a real girlfriend—or at least, not that he knew it.
    He safeguarded his heart by always having the Next Big Thing lined up, whether it was a house, a job or a woman. The loneliness that corroded his ability to stick with a relationship was deep-seated.
    But she believed he wasn’t beyond repair. That Eli had it in him to form regular relationships. To be, in that respect at least, an ordinary guy.
    The horror on his face was almost comical.
    â€œJen,” he warned.
    She went up on tiptoe, planted a kiss on his mouth. As if she was entitled. He instinctively kissed her back, but cut it short with a scowl. “If you care about me—” he threw her words back at him “—you’ll give this up. I’m telling you, Gil doesn’t want you around.”
    â€œAnd if I’m not around, you’ll have those fans swarmingall over you again. Gil won’t like that, either. I reckon at this stage he’s pretty much a neutral factor in the equation.”
    â€œOkay, then, I don’t want you around,” he said. “You’re a pain in the butt.”
    She recognized bluster when she saw it. “Right now, it’s you and me against the world, Eli. Do you want it to be just you?”
    He opened his mouth, so she