On My Own: Book Three in the Who's Your Daddy series Read Online Free Page A

as she approached him. As always, she was impeccably dressed, today wearing a slate grey pantsuit with a purple blouse underneath. “You’ve been down here forever.”
    “It’s not like I have any place to be,” he growled. “The rest of the team’s not getting in until Thursday.”
    “By your sparkling demeanor, I’m guessing Caroline hasn’t contacted you yet.”
    “And you’d be correct.” He walked over to the free weights and hoisted a couple twenty pounders. Standing in front of the mirrored wall, he alternated lifting them, concentrating on his form. He envisioned that each time he lowered a barbell, it was pounding into the head of that bastard Ty Jackson. That brought a smile to his lips and lightened his mood a bit.
    “Can I ask you something?” Monique asked as she propped her butt on the edge of a nearby weight bench.
    “Have I ever been able to keep you from asking me anything?”
    “No, but you’ve failed to answer me on numerous occasions,” she replied with the hint of a smile.
    He did on more rep, set the weights aside and grabbed a new towel. “What do you want to know?” he asked while wiping down his body once more.
    “What happened to you and Caroline? Is she the reason you’ve never had a serious relationship? And how come this was the first time you’ve been home since college?”
    Dirk tilt ed his head to the side and stared off into space. Monique sure knew how to get to the heart of the matter. But how was he going to answer her when he didn’t know the answers himself? A quick look at her and the determined gleam in her eyes let him know she wasn’t going to accept silence today. “Let’s get out of here and I’ll tell you.” He wiped down the equipment he’d been using and within minutes they were headed back to his suite.
    By the time he took a shower and ordered an early lunch for both of them, he could tell Monique was beyond ready to hear his side of the story. “Come on, Dirk! Talk already.”
    He had no intention of giving her all the gory details. Even he had a hard time thinking about them. “Well, I haven’t had a serious relationship because I haven’t met the right woman.” He slid a glance at her and by the expression on her face, he could tell she wasn’t buying his explanation. It sounded hollow to his ears too, but he wasn’t going there today. He needed more time to come to grips with seeing Caroline. More time to mull over this new complication in his life.
    “Alright,” she drawled. “You know that’s a lame excuse, don’t you?’
    “I’m not going to discuss my love life with you, Monique.”
    She huffed and twisted her lips. “Okay, I’ll let you slide on that one. But why not return to Devinne? I mean, it’s been over ten years since you’ve been home.”
    “No need to go home,” he said with as little emotion in his voice as possible. “Nothing there for me. You know my folks are dead and there aren’t any other relatives there.”
    “What about friends, classmates? Your old football coach?”
    “ Didn’t have many friends. Most of them moved on when I did. Some are in jail or dead.” 
    “Was your breakup with Caroline so bad you couldn’t keep in contact with her? The way you were looking at her the other day makes me believe she was someone special to you back in the day.”
    Dirk turned his head and took in a deep breath. He didn’t want to let Monique know just how close she’d hit the mark. Caroline had been the first woman he fell in love with, and truthfully the only one. Despite his playboy ways, always in the company of a beautiful woman, he never let anyone get too close. He’d experienced the kind of heartache that brought him to his knees. No way did he want to do that again.
    Before she could press him further, his cell phone rang and he let out a relieved sigh. Caroline, finally. He stood and started for the bedroom. “Excuse me, I gotta take this.” Monique’s eyes narrowed as he retreated.
    Once