Love Bug (The Prescotts Book 3), Tara Wyatt [best mobile ebook reader .txt] 📗

biting her lip. She held out her hand as if intending to shake his hand, then dropped it, then shifted on the spot. “Um…”

“Hi.” He grinned and made the decision for her, sliding his arms around her waist and dipping his head, kissing her gently. He forced himself to pull away after only a couple of seconds, not wanting to embarrass her in public. A sudden thought occurred to him as he moved around the table to pull out her chair for her.

Note to self: first thing tomorrow, find that elevator security cam footage and erase it.

Not because he was ashamed of what had happened between them in the elevator—he definitely wasn’t—but because he didn’t want anyone else seeing Willa like that. He realized it was because he was already thinking of her as his. His woman to protect and care for.

God, he’d done a fucking fantastic job of that so far, hadn’t he? It showed just how messed up he was that the Universe or fate or whatever the hell was out there had sent him a fucking angel and his response had been, yeah, no thanks. I’m too busy flagellating myself over something that happened eight years ago.

He didn’t want to live like that anymore. Finding out that Willa was Fresh Princess had cracked something open inside him, letting light shine where it hadn’t for a very long time.

He helped Willa tuck in her chair, and then ducked his head and pressed a quick kiss to the juncture where her neck and shoulder met. She let out a shivery gasp, her head tipping to the side slightly, and a thrill roared through him. He didn’t think he’d ever get enough of the way she responded to him. It was completely addictive, and he’d happily turn into a junkie for the sake of her pleasure.

“You look absolutely beautiful,” he murmured, allowing himself one more kiss, one more inhale of her delicate floral scent before returning to his seat across the table.

She blushed and tucked a stand of hair behind her ear. She was wearing it in loose curls that brushed against her jaw. Her dress was a pale yellow with blue and green watercolor splotches on the skirt that became darker and more intense closer to the hemline. He swallowed thickly, already picturing that dress on his bedroom floor later tonight, hope soaring through him. The thought of having her again was enough to make his pants tight, his blood pounding through his veins, but he knew he was getting ahead of himself. Just because she’d agreed to dinner didn’t mean she’d be going home with him.

“Thanks, so do you.” She laughed softly, shaking her head. “I mean, you look nice too.” She cleared her throat and toyed with the chopsticks on the table. “Sorry. I’m nervous.”

“It’s okay,” he said. “I—” But he broke off as a waiter approached with a pot of green tea along with a carafe of sake.

“I’ve always wanted to try this place,” she said, picking up the teapot and pouring a cup for him first and then one for herself. “I’ve heard it’s amazing. In fact, I think the chef was featured on—”

“Worth the Buzz,” he finished, nodding. “He was.”

She nodded and bit her lip again, smoothing her hands over her skirt. “So, um. I don’t really know where to start,” she said, gazing at him across the table. The way the low lighting caught her hazel eyes made them look like deep, burnished gold. Like treasure. He didn’t know how it was possible for someone to be that fucking beautiful, but she was. “But we do have a lot to talk about.”

“Why don’t we start at the beginning?” he suggested, his heart hammering in his chest.

“What do you consider the beginning?”

He reached across the table and took her hand, tracing his thumb over her knuckles. This was it. This was his shot to try to make things right. His pulse pounded in his temples, a surge of adrenaline rushing through him.

“Ever since you started working for Tapp, I’ve been attracted to you. The second I first laid eyes on you, I thought you were so incredibly beautiful, Willa. And then, as we worked together and I got to know you, I saw how smart and kind and incredible you are.”

The corner of her mouth pulled up. “Good to know my feelings weren’t as one sided as I thought.”

He shook his head. “Definitely not. But I have a rule about not getting involved with employees.”

Her brows drew together. “Is that why you were so cold to me the morning after…after the invasion?”

He sighed, guilt weighing on him. “Yes and no.”

She opened her mouth, but the waiter returned with their first course, delicately sliced salmon and tuna on warm rice. Willa picked up a piece with her chopsticks and Max watched as she slid it between her lips. She closed her eyes and let out a soft moan, sending his blood rushing south.

“Oh my God, that’s so good,” she said, holding her hand in front of her mouth as she chewed. “Oh my God.”

They ate for several more minutes, commenting on the food, and he was grateful for the reprieve. Once the waiter had cleared the dishes, she leveled her gaze on him.

“What does yes and no mean?” she asked.

“I’m sorry I was such an asshole to you the morning after. I wish I could take it back. I wish I could do that entire morning over again. Because the truth is, I was freaking out.”

“No shit.” Her lips twisted in a wry smile.

He laughed. “I…” His own smile faded. “I have a complicated past with relationships and I’m still working through some things.”

“What kind of things?”

“Fucked up family dynamics that broke something inside of me. Relationship failures where people got hurt. Badly.”

Her features softened and she reached out and took his hand, wrapping her small fingers around him. “You don’t want to go through that again, so you wall yourself away from anything that