“What don’t I want to give?”
“You’re not a commitment guy. Hell, caring for that dog is almost too much for you.”
He looked as angry as she felt now. “When did you get so bitter? Why so untrusting? This isn’t you, Lexie.”
“It is. I’ve grown up. I’m not the naïve girl I was. And I’m not going to be used.”
“And just who do you think is using who here?”
“We used each other. You were sore and bored and wanted entertainment while stuck at home. I was…horny.”
“That’s all you were? That’s all you wanted from me?”
“That’s all you ever want,” she sidestepped answering directly.
“Could your opinion of me be any lower?” He stared at her, his face pale. “You don’t like me. You just wanted someone to screw.” He turned away from her. “Go ahead then, Lexie. Leave.”
It only took five minutes to throw all her gear together, and she refused to feel bad. The only reason he’d wanted her was because he was bored and she was there. He’d seen more of her skin than ever before and he was a playboy who couldn’t resist. And she’d only wanted him because…well, she’d always wanted him. And she was such a fool.
Twelve
Two hours later Dani frowned at her. “Are you sure you’re all right? You look really pale.”
“I’m fine.” If she had to keep this smile on much longer, her lips were going to bleed. “But Luke’s back now and can look after Mango.”
Dani frowned. “I can’t get over him hurting his knee. He’ll be so mad at himself. He can’t even walk Mango?”
Lexie didn’t think that was much of a problem. Mango didn’t have the legs to walk miles. She glanced over at Dani. She knew she really shouldn’t ask, but she wondered why it was that Luke had ended up with the lapdog. Why didn’t the model want the pooch in her purse anymore? “How did he end up with Mango anyway?” she asked. “Wasn’t he his ex’s dog?”
“Angela was going to put Mango down. Luke rescued him.” Dani’s fierce expression lightened. “He takes him to work every day. It’s ridiculous how attached he is to that dog.”
“She was going to put Mango down?” Lexie all but screeched.
“Yeah, I know. Total bitch. She’d gotten a big job overseas and didn’t want to bother with animal quarantine and all that. Mango was just an accessory to her. Actually, so was Luke. She used him. She’s not the first woman to have used Luke. You know he comes across all bulletproof, but he’s a complete softy inside.”
Lexie turned away so Dani couldn’t see her face. Softy? Luke? She was sure Dani had some sibling blind spot in there, but the facts about Mango spoke for themselves. Now she felt like the world’s biggest bitch. What Luke had said was right—she was bitter, totally untrusting. And to dump all that on him after one night? What had she expected? That the guy get down on bended knee?
Okay, so the fantasist in her would have loved that. She would have loved for Luke to love her. But he was perfectly within his rights not to. Maybe she should have given him a chance—gotten to know him again instead of jumping to conclusions. She could be more mature about it. She certainly could have been nicer instead of morphing into a psychotic shrew. He wasn’t all bad. She’d been colored by the jerk boyfriends in her past.
Back in Boston, Luke had been young and done as he was told. And he was allowed to like other women more than he did her. She owed the guy an apology. A big one. Hell, she’d even been cynical about his motives for the marathon. She didn’t like the person she’d become. Why had she let a bruised heart change her that way?
She’d been the one to go on about how she wasn’t a scaredy-cat anymore, when it couldn’t be further from the truth. She’d been too scared to even give him a chance. She was even more pathetic now than when she’d been a shy teen crippled by nerves. She had to apologize. And the worst thing was, any kind of chance at any kind of thing developing between them was totally blown. He probably thought she was psycho.
So how to go about it? Maybe she was better just escaping to Scotland as she’d planned and hoping she’d never see him again. But that was the old chicken in her. She was braver than that, right?
“I’ll only stay a day or so Dani, don’t worry.”
“You can stay as long as you need.”
No, she couldn’t.
She didn’t sleep that night on Dani’s couch. She tossed and turned, hating herself for being such a fool. For being so rude. And in the few moments she did start to sleep, she was overcome by hot memories—the feel of him, the way he’d held her. As if she was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He’d treated her so well. He’d laughed with her, he’d played with her—but he’d also cared for her. He’d been shaking when he’d touched her—as though it was something he’d wanted forever.
Yeah. Lexie had some fantasy going and she was more than a little in love with the guy. That was real. And she’d messed it up so completely
“I’m going for a walk round Primrose Hill,” Lexie whispered to Dani early the next morning.
“Okay.”
She walked for a long time—three times around the small park. And then she noticed the figure coming toward her, slow but determined.
He was limping. He hadn’t shaved. He looked sore and tired and devastating.
“Dani said you were here. You don’t make it easy for me, Lexie.”
She quickly walked up to him but stopped a few feet away. Out of the touch zone. He wouldn’t want to touch her. “I’m really sorry about what a bitch I was. I had no right to talk to you that way yesterday. It was so rude of me.”
“No, I’m sorry. You were right. I’m spoiled and I like to play around. I did want you to entertain me while I was home. That’s totally true.” He took a step closer. “But I wanted more from you too.”
Silenced, nervous, she waited.
“Do you know what? I remember this girl who used to read my comics when she thought I wasn’t looking. She used to laugh at the pages I laughed at. She was so shy and I didn’t know how to get through to her.” He stepped closer and locked his arms around her.
“Why’ve you gone boa constrictor on me?” She could hardly breathe. But it was good.
“You keep running away. What else am I supposed to do? I need you to listen to me.”
She waited, but he didn’t speak. Instead he bent his head and kissed her. It was so damn unfair of him. He had no need for boa constrictor arms now—she was lax against him, hungry all over again. But it hurt.
“What’s with the running away?” he asked.
“You do this to me. So easily.”
“Do what?”
“Make me want you. Make me want so much with you.” This time she was honest. She bent her head, wincing inside at her weakness. He’d be gentle with her though, right? Let her down easily because he was more of a gentleman than she’d ever given him credit for.
He lifted her chin, angling her face so she had to lift her lashes and look directly at him again. “Why is that a problem?”
To her utter horror, stinging tears flooded her eyes. Damn, she was that silly, scared teenager all over again. “You were right. I am the same old scaredy-cat I was when I first went overseas. I’m sorry.”
His arms tightened for another second, and then relaxed. She knew she could push away from him if she wanted to.
“Lexie. I don’t think that’s quite true. I think you’re amazing. And I need you to give this a chance. This is special. You’re special to me. You’ve always been special to me.” He frowned. “I’d decided to stay away from you five minutes before you turned vixen on me. And I just lost it. Once I’d started, there was no stopping. Anything you offered I was going to take and I was going to ask for more. I want so much more from you, Lexie. Not just sex.” He finally smiled. “Although it’s fair to say I want a lot of that too. The other night was spectacular, but it wasn’t enough. I thought it would be. I was wrong. I don’t want to have a fling w
ith you. I want more. We are more. But then you acted all one-night-stand on me and it hurt. And some of what you said was right. That hurt too.”
“You only do temporary,” she countered, just as soft. Not wanting to be crushed any more than she already was. “You have millions of girlfriends. All temporary.”
“I don’t have millions of girlfriends.” He denied it strenuously. “I haven’t had the time. I went straight from my bachelor’s into my MBA and then straight into the firm. I’ve been too damn busy.”
“But you dated hundreds of girls in high school. Hundreds.”
“Hell, Lexie. You know why that was?” He laughed roughly. “I was trying to escape from you. From how much I wanted you. That six months I was a total man whore, yes I was. But it never worked. It was never great. It never worked and I grew out of it so quickly.”
“Not that quickly.” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. He’d been doing that to avoid any feelings for her? “You broke my heart so many times over.”
And it broke her heart a bit now too. Because they’d both been young and stupid and unable to handle how it was between them.
“You broke mine, too. You never looked at me again. I lived under the same roof as you and I wasn’t allowed anywhere...’ he huffed out a breath. ‘It was complete torture. I had to respect my parents. I had to respect you. I had to try to forget you—my feelings for you. I had to do whatever it took. I thought I had.”
She stared up at him and read the old conflict, the remnants of hurt and rejection in his eyes. They had been young. And she’d been sheltered. And she understood how it was that his parents would’ve been horrified at the thought of him taking advantage of her. Only he hadn’t been. He’d been genuine. And he’d been hurt by it all too. It was just the circumstance, their ages. But things were different now.
So very different. And thank heavens she’d come to London. Thank heavens she’d met him again. Because this time was the right time.
“Luke…”
He kissed her and her senses soared into the sky. He was here. He’d come for her. He wanted her. He’d always wanted her. The same way she’d wanted him. And that horrible ache she’d carried with her for so long, now eased. As it did, as she sank against him completely, his arms tightened. She had the gorgeous feeling he was never going to let her go. And she was so okay with that.
“My heart feels a lot better now,” he said.
“Mine too,” she whispered in sweet relief.
They kissed again. A long, hot, heavenly kiss that verged on the improper-in-public.
“So,” he laughed eventually, his brows waggling wickedly. “I have this month off from work. You have no job. What on earth are we going to do with our time?”
“Go on that big Ferris wheel again,” she answered promptly, unable to hold back her smile. “It’s a beautiful day— we might actually see something this time. I want to relax and enjoy the view.”
He glanced up at the sky and grinned—because it was another dreary gray day. But inside them both, it was as if the sun was brilliantly shining.
“So you’re going to trust me, Lexie?” he asked, a serious glint back in his eyes. “You’re going to say yes and stay with me? See where this takes us?”
She thought about it, about what she’d thought she knew and what she really knew. She’d jumped to conclusions, she’d been stupidly scared. But she refused to let fear hold her back now. He believed in her—he always had. And she believed in him too. Understanding what had happened, understanding how they’d grown… she realised how much she believed in them. So there was only one possible answer for her to give. His arms tightened, as if he already knew. And with a smile and the sting of a single happy tear she lifted her lips to brush against his as she whispered.
“Yes, yes, yes!”
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If you loved Her Forbidden Crush, please consider leaving a review. And be sure to read the others in the series: Her One Night Fiancé and Her Bossy Billionaire!
Love in London
Read the other stories in the Love In London series!
HER ONE NIGHT FIANCÉ
The sexy stranger on the train seriously saved me from an epically hellish night…
The last thing store assistant Nina Breslin wants is to face an army of her cheating exe’s friends, while workaholic billionaire Eduardo Ruiz really doesn’t want to face the onslaught of his interfering family who’ve flown in for the night—with prospective ‘perfect partner’ in tow.
What better than to team up and take the heat off each other?
Only during their one-night fake fiancé deal, the heat between them burns hotter than Venus!
What happens when they wake up and Nina is still wearing Eduardo’s ring? And when it’s not just bodies but hearts that have become entwined?
Featuring nerdy Shakespeare quotes, an outrageously oversized diamond, hidden heartbreak and hot, hot nights... Her One Night Fiancé is a delicious treat sure to satisfy lovers of sassy, sexy contemporary romance.
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HER BOSSY BILLIONAIRE
Having barely survived a business catastrophe, the last thing fiercely independent Libby Harris needs is her client’s bossy older brother interfering in her schedule. Especially not some far too good-looking, know-all billionaire.
Jack Barnes has been Mr Responsible for years, taking care of his vulnerable younger sibling, so when a random but gorgeous woman appears in his apartment claiming to be there for his brother, his wary radar pings.
Turns out the luscious Libby isn’t a threat to anyone but Jack’s own peace of mind and for once he’s tempted to cast off caution and indulge in the moment. But what should’ve been something light and fun turns sticky when other uncontrollable emotions emerge...
Featuring unusual suggestions for maple syrup, sizzling chemistry on the kitchen counter and one serious commitment-phobe…
Her Bossy Billionaire is for readers who love it when a billionaire boss comes up against a woman unafraid to make her own rules in this sexy contemporary romance.
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Also be sure to discover Natalie’s sizzling Be for Me series with six scorching heroes!
About the Author
USA TODAY bestselling author Natalie Anderson writes emotional contemporary romance full of sparkling banter, sizzling heat and uplifting endings—perfect for readers who love to escape with empowered heroines and arrogant alphas who are too sexy for their own good. With over 3 million books sold, her stories are translated into more than a dozen languages.
When not writing, you’ll find her wrangling her 4 children, 3 cats, 2 goldfish and 1 mini schnauzer… and snuggled up in a heap on the sofa with her husband at the end of the day. She and the menagerie live in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Keep up with Natalie’s release schedule, find free reads and other fun stuff at her website and sign up to her newsletter for a free read, latest release details, and sneak peeks. You can also follow her on Facebook.
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“Natalie Anderson is one of the most exciting voices in steamy romantic fiction writing today. Sassy, witty and emotional.” - Cataromance.
Her Forbidden Crush Page 7
