Cassius, Stevens, Madison [moboreader txt] 📗

distracted, but ended up in a worse position. Dressing it up in ritual and superstition was a way to better convince herself of its importance, but now she couldn’t help but worry she’d made a horrendous mistake by not trusting her ritualized habits.

Kendra had felt incomplete before, and now a dream man all but fell into her lap, a man who made her feel more alive than she had in years. It might have sounded silly to say she suspected the man could complete her after just meeting him, but there was something about him that called to her.

Even before their fun together, being around him left her nervous but yearning. A woman who was superstitious about pre-competition rituals couldn’t turn her nose up at the idea of soulmates.

Kendra gasped. Soulmate. That’s exactly what it felt like. She had no logical reason to suggest that, but somehow the word felt right. Not right. Perfect.

“This is crazy,” she whispered. “I’m crazy, and if I’m not crazy, I’m not screwed because we didn’t screw.” She ran her hands through her hair. “But he made me feel like it with just the pregame!”

She sighed. It didn’t matter. She’d ruined everything and maybe even chased off her soulmate. A man could take being slapped once, but twice?

Kendra had run CJ off the first time by overreacting to an innocuous comment, and she’d lucked out in running into him again. He’d already gotten his satisfaction, but he still took the time to make sure she got hers. CJ had already proven he was an attentive lover.

He was a perfect specimen of a man who cared about her in bed and lacked pretention. He also stood a good chance of being her soulmate, and she’d run him off over some stupid race.

Well not exactly stupid but certainly inconvenient.

Graham’s warnings about sponsors weren’t something she was ready to ignore. She understood the race’s importance to her career, but she found it hard to believe one single race would prove that critical, and she wasn’t sure she’d ever find a man like CJ again. No woman was that lucky.

The thought tormented her.

Kendra sucked in a breath and blinked, surprised by her own intensity. She’d hungered for CJ from their first meeting, a fiery attraction she’d need to be in Antarctica to cool.

Nope. Even Antarctica wouldn’t be good enough. Right now, she’d burn right through the ice and all the way to the center of the Earth.

Kendra had never, ever felt so attracted to a man before in her life. Admittedly, she’d never run into such a great-looking perfect guy before, but whatever she was feeling went beyond mere surface attraction, which is why she couldn’t ignore the idea he might be her soulmate.

She wanted to learn more about him, the sad parts and the happy parts. She wanted to meet his friends and hear more about his work, even his tragic childhood he alluded to. At this point, she didn’t mind sitting and watching him eat without talking at all.

But now it might all be over. She clung to hope that his coordinating a morning meet up at the course meant something, but he’d made it clear he was in NYC on a job.

At this point, she was probably nothing more than a convenient source of information about the race. He’d track down some mobsters dealing drugs out of the building, and she’d go back home still single.

Kendra pulled out her phone and sighed at the brief text messages they’d exchanged last night. She wanted to think she was such a hot and desirable woman that a man like CJ had no choice but to keep after her, but the truth was, guys like him could get any woman they wanted. He didn’t need her.

She tried to focus on the positives. He’d contacted her about meeting at the course. Maybe that did mean something more than he needed her help for the job, or at least it meant he wasn’t furious with her.

That was a step in the right direction. At least that’s what she kept telling herself.

Kendra’s breath caught when she spotted CJ approaching in the distance. She enjoyed how his short-sleeve shirt showed off his thick arms. The rest of the world melted away. There was only the dreamboat.

She waved to him with a smile, hoping it didn’t seem forced. CJ’s pace was maddening, more meandering than walking. Did that mean he didn’t care? Her attempts to not read too much into his speed failed miserably.

“Hi,” she said as he completed his approach. “I’m glad you could make it.”

CJ shrugged. “It’ll be interesting to have you show me around. You’re going to be too busy tomorrow to do it.”

“I know you’re here to work a case, and I hope I can maybe be helpful with that. I’ll try and point out anything that seems out of order, but I haven’t seen anything like that yet.”

“Yeah, I’m here on a job,” CJ replied, his gaze pinning her. “But that’s not the only reason I’m here.”

Kendra swallowed, her toes curling. That wasn’t the look of a man who didn’t care about her. She still had a chance.

Dropping her soulmate theory on him might have scared him, so she decided to hold onto it for the moment. A half-dozen dates or so should be enough for her to admit it. At least she’d be getting a second chance, or maybe a third, but she needed to make sure they moved forward in a good way.

Kendra averted her eyes. “I-I’m sorry. I want to get that out there before we move on.”

“Sorry about what?” CJ looked confused. “I just got here.” He looked around, his brow furrowed.

“I’m sorry about last night.” Kendra licked her lips and looked around before lowering her voice. “That was a bitch move on my part. It’s my fault things got that far to begin with. I should have made it clear from the beginning that I didn’t want things to happen rather than revving you