Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
I ripped my gaze away from him. It was just a line. So why, deep down, was I somewhat flattered? There was no way around it—he was undeniably attractive. But there was no way I’d give him the satisfaction or power of admitting it.
The sound of my laptop bag thudding to the floorboard broke my train of thought. He’d pushed it out of his way.
“I’m sure it’s fine,” he said when noticing my concern. “If not, I’ll buy you a new one.” He was right beside me, his leg resting against mine. I told myself to scoot away, but there was nowhere to go, no escape.
“It’s not mine.”
“Fine. I’ll buy your company a new one.” The weight of his body on the seat forced me to lean into him, and the heat inside me rose again, this time to a dangerous level. He was far too close. His rich, dark-brown eyes promised me nothing but sinful things, and I couldn’t look away. No matter how much I wanted to.
Did I want to?
His large hand cupped my face, his fingertips brushing over my rain dampened cheek. The touch sent a jolt of electricity down through my body, and I shivered.
“I’m cold,” I said, to explain my reaction.
He didn’t say anything. All he did was bring his mouth to mine and set me on fire.
Just the slightest brush of his soft lips against mine caused my heart to trip and tumble through my body. If I didn’t stop him, if I let him do it again, I knew I’d be doomed and give in to him completely.
“Don’t,” I gasped, turning away from the kiss.
His expression was a mixture of amusement and desire. “You keep refusing me, and I’m going to get my feelings hurt.”
“That’s your fault. I already told you that we can’t. Was I unclear?”
My mind was set, but my body hummed with desire, and I struggled to hold it at bay. I would continue to convince myself I had no interest in him, even as his touch made me melt into the seat beside him. He was much too arrogant.
“The only thing you’ve made clear is that you don’t want . . . to want me.”
I had nothing left to respond with because what he’d said was the truth. Time was not my friend. Every moment I spent with him was another opportunity for him to attack my resolve. It had weakened terribly under the power of his slightest of kisses.
Maybe it was the ordeal I’d been through today. The surge of adrenaline that still lingered in my system and left me feeling off balance. That was the reason I felt this way, why I was struggling to resist him.
Thank God. The car pulled alongside the curb, and I flung the door open as soon as it stopped. I scrambled out into the rain and darted under the awning of the restaurant, going to the first place I could find where Shawn’s presence didn’t fill every square inch of the air.
He didn’t let me recover.
His strong hand was on my back, pressing me subtly forward into the fancy restaurant, not allowing me to go elsewhere.
4
SHAWN
Kara ordered a glass of Budweiser in an attempt to piss me off, but I saw right through it. “I thought you don’t drink beer.”
“I lied.”
The corner of my mouth twitched in a smile. She sat across from me, drumming her fingertips absently on the white tablecloth, like she’d rather be somewhere else. She hadn’t lied about her lack of appetite, though, as she’d barely touched her lunch.
That was my fault. When she didn’t order anything, I did it for her, and her expression filled with irritation. I should have known better.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked.
“The incident? There’s not a whole lot to say. He knew he was getting fired and was upset.”
“L said you were able to deescalate and calmed him down. How did you manage that?”
The blue of her eyes was intriguing and almost silver as her gaze sharpened. “Scott is going through a divorce, so I talked about mine.”
Most of the time, she’d been so guarded. Not only in person, but while texting with me too, so this was surprising. “How long ago did you divorce?”
She was displeased by the question. “It’ll be two years in September.”
“Then you’re through the hardest part.”
“Yeah, I suppose you would know.”
Because I’d gone through two divorces already. I wasn’t particularly proud to have two ex-wives at thirty-nine, but the fact was, I did. I’d really tried to make it work with both of them.
“Can I ask,” I said, “what happened between you and Paul?”
“You can ask, but I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Why?” I should let this be, but I was curious.
“Do you like talking about why your marriage fell apart? Marriages?”
“There’s not a whole lot to say. Nicolette was pregnant, and her parents required we get married.”