Free License to Love by Kristen James

he knew what to do about it. For the moment, he
needed to make sure she was okay. He knocked five times before she opened the
door. The words he wanted to say just didn’t work. Not when he saw the pain in
her big brown eyes.
    She’d removed her red coat, revealing the white long sleeve
shirt she wore underneath. It stretched across her breasts, making him wish
they were here to continue what they’d started, not discuss why they wouldn’t
be.
    Something big stood in the way of her trusting him. He could
see it in her expression. Her frightened face made her eyes larger, darker. He
wanted to hold her and kiss her again to make it all right, but not after what
just happened.
    “Missy, don’t you trust me?”
    Taking several steps back, she nodded. At the very least,
she said she did. Maybe she’d been upset with herself for breaking a personal
rule. Could it be that simple?
    “Then did I read you wrong?” he asked, stepping inside and
shutting the door.
    “No.” Her hunched shoulders kept him close to the door,
watching her as she took a deep breath. When she motioned to the couch, he came
in and sat, leaving space between them.
    Suddenly he noticed the pile of folded blankets next to the
couch. “You’re sleeping out here?”
    Shrugging, she tried to say something, but just ran her
fingers through her hair. He didn’t understand for a minute, but it didn’t take
long. From where he sat, he could see down the hallway, to the bedroom door. It
was shut. He doubted she’d gone into Ben’s old room.
    Brent felt so lousy about himself he didn’t know what to
say.
    She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry.”
    Even if she’d kissed him first, which he doubted now, it
wasn’t her fault. “You don’t have to be sorry for it.”
    She looked up to his face again. He saw regret in her eyes
and braced for the words. “I have to be, and I can’t do that again.”
    “You didn’t like it?” His question went over the line, but
he had to know. He wasn’t sure how he’d walk away from someone so mysterious,
so beautiful.
    “I did like kissing you, Brent.” The way she spoke slowly
had him bracing for the ‘but’. “I’m just not ready for a relationship.”
    “I wasn’t either. There’s no way to prepare for that.” She’d
about knocked him over, sent him into moans.
    “I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for that.” She stood back
up as she spoke, and he jumped to his feet after her.
    “If you’re not attracted to me, tell me, but please don’t
turn away if it’s something else.”
    She folded her arms. “I don’t have to explain this to you,
or anybody. I told you my problems are just that, remember? My problems.” Anger
simmered under her quick words. She took three long strides to the door and
grabbed the handle.
    She was tall, but he was taller and took two steps to catch
her. He planted a hand on top of hers. “That’s not how it works with people who
care about you.”
    “What?”
    “Yeah, I care about you.” Without warning, he planted his
mouth on hers again. She made a noise that started like an hmm and ended
with an ahh ! She leaned into him, going soft, her hands relaxing on his
shoulders, but it ended quickly. With a shove, she separated them.
    Eyes dancing with fury and heat, she declared, “I don’t have
to kiss you, and I don’t have to explain!”
    Taking her gently by the chin, he held her so she looked
straight into his eyes. “Of course you don’t have to kiss me. But since you did
back there, you should tell me why you don’t want to do it again.”
    “No!” She shook, trying not to cry. “I can’t.”
    “Why, Missy? What happened that made you this way? Because
your boss lied about you, or because he did something else?”
    She stared at him with icy eyes.
    “He hurt you?” Sure, he was blunt. He’d always been that
way. But he regretted this instance of it because the emotion slid off her
face. He’d lost her.
    Instead of responding, she passed him and