“I don’t want you to stop, Jason,” Claire said as her expression softened. “But I also don’t want you to make the decisions for me.”
“I’ll try,” he answered stiffly.
She shifted from one foot to the other. “And I’ve made my decision about us.”
“Already?” This couldn’t be good for him. She hadn’t taken the time to make a list of pros or cons. Jason braced himself for the impact.
“I don’t want a fling.”
He flinched from her quiet declaration. Two weeks ago she wanted to extend the fling. Was he already out of her system?
Claire took a deep breath. “I want a relationship that doesn’t have a predetermined expiration date,” she said. “I’ve always wanted one.”
He spread his arms out. “Then why didn’t you say so?”
Her cheeks turned pink and she glanced away. “Because I thought I couldn’t keep your interest for more than a week. I knew I was a novelty. It was a big risk to ask for another week and you didn’t give me an answer. Then when I heard you with Max...”
“What I did was stupid.” Jason tilted his head back and groaned. “And I just kept making it worse. I didn’t give you an answer about the fling because I wanted to see if you really wanted the job with Max. I needed to know if I had a chance with you.”
“You’ve always had a chance with me, Jason.” Claire stepped forward and cupped his face with her hands. “If you’d just wanted a one-night stand, I would have taken it. But I’m greedy. I want more. What do you want?”
“Everything,” Jason said as he bent down to claim her mouth with his. “I want it all.”