arrogant...workaholic...single-minded... emotionally stunted.... The adjectives stormed through Nicole’s brain as she stomped up the beach toward the chalet. She got it. It wasn’t rocket science. Ryan didn’t want to get involved. Didn’t want the complications. Didn’t have time for a relationship. Fine. Neither did she, but he didn’t have to be so goddamned cold about it. Okay, so he’d had a bad childhood and a father who didn’t care about him. She could understand how that would cause someone to learn from an early age how to mask their emotions, but he’d applied the brakes so swiftly Nicole was still reeling from the whiplash. It had only been a couple of hours since they’d had sex. Breathe. Calm down. Nicole forced herself to relax. What did it matter whether they had this conversation now or when they landed?
