Can a guy who lives on the edge convince a woman who loves to play it safe to risk her heart with him?
Itâs just a simple physical reaction to a gorgeous man. I havenât had sex in a long, long time and thereâs no question that heâs hot.
âHey, I have those. Theyâre great.â
Heâs referring to the travel cubes that hold all my clothes. Made of nylon and mesh, they come in various sizes and enable me to keep everything organized and wrinkle free.
âYou mean you donât stuff everything into a duffel and head out?â
âWith all the traveling I do, I needed a better system than that.â He gives me a long, lazy look. âHey, thereâs something else we have in common. I bet we spend the weekend finding out that weâre two peas in a pod.â
I donât like the way heâs looking at me. Heat begins to build beneath my skin and suddenly Iâm imagining the two of us in that huge shower I can see in the bathroom beyond him, naked and going at each other. Iâm almost overcome by the urge to moan.
I. Am. Not. Attracted. To. Paxton.
I canât be. His actions resulted in my broken heart. How many times do I have to remind myself of that?
âLook,â Paxton says, âI want to be cool with you this weekend.â
Cool? Iâm feeling anything but that. I grab my make-up bag and head toward the bathroom. He backs up just enough to let me by. Again Iâm assaulted by the scent of him. Bittersweet citrus, mint, and something peppery for heat. Clean and manly. Faint enough to make it necessary to lean close. Almost before I realize what Iâve done, I suck in a deep breath. Sharp desire spears straight to my core, awakening a keen ache.
And suddenly I want something besides my lungs filled with him. My stomach drops as I imagine wrapping my legs around his waist as he enters me. Damn it. I hate carnival rides and thatâs what being around Paxton is like. Pulse stopping dips and exhilarating twists.
As I scowl at his reflection in the mirror, itâs no challenge to pitch my voice into frustrated tones. âBut thatâs going to be really hard if you talk to me. At all. Why donât we keep the distance of the house between us at all times and everything will be great.â
âSo you need me to stay away from you to remain cool? What happens if I get close?â His voice is a self-satisfied purr. âAre you going to heat up?â
He demonstrates by setting his hand on the countertop and shifting in my direction. My heart hammers so hard, Iâm sure he can hear it. Thereâs no missing the bright color that pops into my cheeks or the sudden glazing of my eyes. Despite the warmth of the room, goose bumps appear on my arms.
âPlease.â My voice breaks on the word. âDonât play with me. Itâs not fair.â
âIâm not playing.â And heâs not smiling. His gaze is keen and probing as it meets mine in the mirror. âIâm deadly serious about you.â
My mouth opens to ask a question but nothing comes out. I donât want to know what he has in mind or why. âWeâre not a good fit, you and me.â
âAre you so sure?â The light kiss he drops on my shoulder make my toes curl. âYouâve never given me a chance.â
I gape at him. âWhy should I after what you did?â
âI mean before. Back in high school.â
âHigh school?â Weâd barely known each other. We hadnât had any classes together and Iâd hung with my own friends. I didnât know who he was before Julie started dating Zach. And I donât think I said two words to him after that. âWe ran in completely different circles.â
âYou with the future leaders of America,â he says with the lightest touch of sarcasm. âMe with the future losers?â
âIâd hardly call you, Paul, or Zach losers.â In fact, they all owned their own businesses and had done exceptionally well. âAnd Iâm no leader.â
In fact, when I allow myself to think about it, Iâm disappointed in both my career and personal life.
âBesides,â I continue, âFrom what I remember of you then, I wasnât the sort of girl you were interested in. You liked to party and that wasnât me.â
âThat doesnât mean I wasnât interested.â
âWe would have been a terrible fit.â I donât know why Iâm so insistent that he agrees with me. âItâs no better now.â
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