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“Stop it!” Carys told herself, but set the wine aside.

She didn’t want to drink it. She shouldn’t have tried the wine that first night or any of the nights over the past month.

She shouldn’t have experienced that kind of wine-induced bliss.

Because now, everything else was going to be…

disappointing. It was going to take her weeks, possibly months, to get the taste of that wine out of her memory.

It was going to be a very long time before she’d manage to enjoy a glass of wine again!

When her phone buzzed, Carys didn’t look at it.

She knew it would be Rafi. And she’d convinced herself that he was wrapped up in some other woman’s arms right about now!

A woman who didn’t have a miserable past!

A woman who could enjoy a temporary relationship and just…

move on to the next man. Or woman. Or…whatever!

A woman who could love him without reservation. Without fear that…he would leave her for someone better.

The phone silenced and Carys took a long sip of her wine. It wasn’t very good, but she took another sip. Then another, flipping through the channels. Nothing captured her attention.

She was on her third glass of wine and had watched the first fifteen minutes of four different movies when her phone rang again.

Because she hadn’t imbibed this much in so long, Carys was just tipsy enough to answer the phone.

When she looked at the caller on her screen, the sneer was already in her tone when she answered.

“Is she worth it?”

There was a long silence. Then she heard, “Carys?”

“Rafi?” she mocked. “Is she good in bed? Does she do that thing with her tongue like I do?”

Another silence. Finally, he asked, “Carys, are you okay?”

She took another sip…or maybe a gulp…of wine.

“Yeah, I’m good. Maybe a little drunk. But that’s okay, because I have to get used to bitter wine because some bastard convinced me to experience exceptional wine.

Some bastard decided to tempt me with things I can’t have!

Someone, namely you , decided that I should fall for a guy who is just going to…

!” She stopped, unable to finish that sentence.

Instead, she took another sip of her wine and almost ended the call.

What was the point? He’d already moved on to someone else!

“Carys, are you jealous?”

“No!” she gasped, shifting on the sofa. She pulled her knees up to her chest, balancing the cheap glass filled with cheap wine on her knee.

“I’m fine. And I don’t care if you move on to the next woman.

It’s what men do. So, I expected this,” she concluded.

If the last word had to be forced out, then so be it.

“Honey, where are you?”

“Happily ensconced on my sofa. I’m watching a movie.

Something that we never got around to doing.

So, I’m glad that you moved on to another woman.

Now I can catch up on all of the movies that have come out over the past few weeks.

” She took another sip of her wine, then added, “Being with you seriously crimped my movie watching progress.”

He laughed and Carys couldn’t stop the shiver of awareness that went down her spine. He’d done that while she’d been curled up against him, his hand stroking her bare back. And he’d made that deep, sexy sound right after she’d screamed his name while her body climaxed around his.

“Carys, turn on your phone’s video, love,” he ordered softly.

“Why?”

“Because I’m going to show you where I am.”

“I don’t want to see her!”

“Carys!” he growled. It was the warning tone he’d use whenever she was baiting him. She used to love that tone. It meant he was going to do something extra naughty to her and she was going to love it.

“Fine!” she snarled, then pressed the button that turned on her camera. “What?”

Rafi looked at her and Carys’s heart ached. He was so damned handsome! Why did he have to be good looking, extraordinary in bed, and such a nice person?

“Here,” he said and turned the phone, panning it around the room.

There was a group of men sitting at a table with papers spread everywhere, laptops open, eyeglasses slipping off their noses.

There were three women in the room too, and they were working just as diligently.

Everyone looked a bit frazzled, as if they’d been in that conference room for too long.

And then Rafi’s face returned. He looked at her and it was obvious that he was walking out of the room.

“There. You’ve seen who I’m with and that there are no naked women with me.

Just a bunch of contracts that we’re trying to get out of.

” He paused and closed the door, and then dropped his voice a little. “Now, tell me what you’re wearing.”

Carys’s heart ached. “You’re not with someone else?” she whispered, her tone too hopeful.

“No, honey. I’m not.” He paused, his eyes lighting up. “But I like that you’re jealous.” He chuckled softly, shaking his head. “You’re such a mystery. I never know what you’re thinking. You’ve been so hesitant to define exactly what’s going on between us.”

“I just…!” she began, then thought better of it and clamped her mouth shut.

His sexy smile made her heart flutter wildly. “You missed me. And are worried because we haven’t defined our relationship.”

Well. That wasn’t what she’d thought he’d say! “You’re not going to break up with me because I’m jealous?” she asked, her voice cracking.

His gaze softened. “Honey, is that what you were expecting?”

Carys didn’t know what she was trying to ask. Even through the haze of wine, she knew that she was being irrational. “I’m sorry! Just…let’s just pretend that I didn’t answer this call and…well, I have to get ready for work tomorrow.”

He chuckled. “Back to the careful Carys again, eh?” he teased. “Fine. But when I get back to Philly, we’re going to have a long conversation.”

“No!” she gasped, shaking her head. But the wine wasn’t helping her balance and she had to stop. “No need for a conversation. Everything is fine. I’m just…weird.”

He didn’t acknowledge that statement. He looked at her through the cell phone’s camera, his eyes stern. “I’m flying back tonight, Carys. We’ll get things sorted out right after, okay?”

Rafi didn’t wait for a response. He ended the call. For a long moment, Carys continued to stare into the black screen, wondering what she’d just revealed to Rafi.

“No!” she whispered, carefully setting the wine back on her coffee table, which took extra effort since her fingers were trembling so badly. “This is bad!”