Chapter 16: Chapter 16

Ana had barely left his thoughts since she'd fled the restaurant Saturday night; he hadn't been able to make a single business decision. In his mind, all he could picture was her dashing up the street…and away from him. It had been freezing, and she hadn't even taken the time to put her coat on.

He'd somehow managed to convince himself he'd lost her, which he found quite comical because she'd never been his to begin with.

Maybe she needed some time to think about what they'd done. This was brand new to her, after all—having a physical relationship. It was possible she was having difficulty separating her emotions from her sexual desires. In his experience, losing one's virginity was a bigger deal to a woman than it was to a man. Maybe she hadn't come to grips with that yet.

So he'd vowed to give her one week to come to terms with what they'd done.

He made it all of three days.

"I'm coming!" Ana yelled as she leaned her Swiffer against the door frame in her kitchen. She gathered her hair at the nape of her neck on her way to the front door and used her teeth to pull the elastic off her wrist. She tightened the band around her hair before flinging the solid oak open.

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Ana crossed her arms over her chest. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice not as indifferent as she'd have liked.

"I'm here to see you," Eric answered gently.

Ana thought she was over their little têtê-a-têtê, but to her surprise, she felt the anger rise up again. Why did he have to be so damn good looking? He was standing there in a long, dark trench coat, for God's sake, and he looked sexy as hell. That only fueled her ire, as it was his sexiness that always seemed to get her into trouble.

"You've seen me," she grumbled.

He arched a brow as he studied her. "I see you've decided to take the mature approach," he said dryly.

"What do you want, Miller?" she asked.

"I'd like to come in," he returned.

With a sigh, she took a step backward and opened the door enough to allow him inside. He pulled his coat off down over his shoulders as he walked through, then laid it carefully over the back of her couch.

She closed the door and turned around so they were facing. It was quiet for a bit before either of them spoke.

"You were angry when you left the other night," Eric started.

"Yes," Ana agreed. "At myself, not you."

"Can I ask why?" he pressed.

She shrugged as if it was obvious. "Because I'm a slut," she answered.

"I'd hardly call you a slut, Ana," he argued. "You've only been with one man."

"You didn't finish your sentence, Miller," she informed him as her fury rose. "I've only been with one man…who I hardly know!"

"Ana—"

"Look, I'm sorry you wasted a trip here—"

"Dammit, Ana," Eric said as he stalked over to her. "Talk to me."

"Talk to you?" she asked in a shrill voice. "Since when have you ever wanted to talk to me?"

"Since now," he shot back.

Ana was unable to hold back a hysterical laugh. "Trust me, Miller. You don't want to hear what I have to say."

He should have waited a week…that was all he could think. She was clearly still mad at him—which he could handle—but she was even more furious with herself. That was a lot harder for him to swallow. Was she really that distraught over sleeping with him?

"Try me," he insisted, though it was against his better judgment.

"Oh, I've tried you," Ana reminded him. "And look at where it's gotten me! I'm apparently so cheap that I'll stoop to a coat closet just to have you…"

"Fuck you?" Eric finished when her voice trailed off.

"Yes," she said, her cheeks tinged with pink.

Eric nodded as he put his hands in his pockets. It was the only thing keeping him from reaching for her; he wanted to shake some sense into her! Did she not realize this was his fault? That he'd known how willing she was since that night in the alley? That he'd been waiting—albeit impatiently—for just the right moment to get back into her bed? Hell—he hadn't even had the fortitude for that! He'd taken her in a damn coat closet!

It was fucking with his ego how he could barely resist her. When his date had grabbed her coat at the restaurant, he'd immediately recognized it as the one Ana had used to stifle her moans. Funny how he hadn't noticed it before…but when Ana was somehow linked to it, he'd been able to distinguish it straightaway.

"You didn't stoop, Ana," he informed her. He wouldn't let her take the blame for this. "I seduced you."

"Seduced me?" Ana asked incredulously. "Are you kidding me? I was practically begging for it!"

"Maybe," Eric conceded. "But I could have stopped. I should have stopped."

"That's the point, Miller. I didn't want you to stop!" she told him.

"I should have anyway," he persisted. "You deserve better than a coat closet, Ana. You deserve better than me coming all over your legs like a fucking fifteen year old boy!"

The red on her cheeks darkened at his admission. "Then why did you?" she asked in a small voice.

"Because I had to!" he said; his own anger was escalating now and he pulled a hand out of his pocket and ran it across his face. "There was nothing I wanted more than to come inside of you, but I had no idea if you were on the pill or not. And I didn't want to get you pregnant."

Ana swallowed past the lump of anxiety in her throat. "I wasn't," she said softly. "I mean…I'm not. But…I just…stopped, so I shouldn't be ovulating."

Eric nodded. "Good." He appreciated her candor. She could have kept him wondering, but she hadn't.

"Eric…I…there's something I need to know. How often do you…?" Her voice trailed off for a moment, but he saw the resolve in her face as she straightened. "How often do you have unprotected sex?" she asked.

"Never," he answered without missing a beat.

"Eric—"

"I swear to God, Ana," he said firmly. "You're the first." He didn't realize how significant that bit of information was until he'd said the words aloud.

She nodded uncertainly before looking away.

"Ana," he said. "Maybe we can start over."

She bit her lower lip as she shook her head. "I don't think that's possible."

"Sure it is—"

"No," Ana interrupted. "It's not. I had a job interview yesterday, and they offered me the position."

Eric's brows drew together in confusion. What did her being employed have to do with them seeing each other?

"It's in Chicago."