Page 51 of As You Crave It

She tilted her head. “Huge house, fancy cars, expensive restaurants, popping bottles in the VIP section? Dude, you are the other half. This is your life.”

“I wasn’t talking about any of that stuff. The house, the cars, the business, they don’t matter.” He paused, letting the meaning of his words sink in. “I missed you this week.”

“I noticed that you were distant. I missed you, too.” She pushed back from the table and stood, walking to the railing, and he joined her.

Quin moved behind her and grasped the railing on either side of her, pinning her to it. Instead of pushing him away, he smiled to himself when she instead leaned against his chest, sipping her champagne. “I’m sorry I was distant. I haven’t been able to...” He paused, trying to figure out the words he wanted to say. “Sort out my feelings.”

“What are they?”

“My feelings? I don’t know. I was just conflicted. Over you. Over the deal with Jared. Did I want to go into business with a man like that?”

“But you chose not to.”

“After seeing what he is, I couldn’t. My conscience wouldn’t let me.”

“What did Reid and Gemma think?”

“They understood. I think Reid was pissed that it means Jared will probably make a deal with our competitors. But they both understood that it’d be worth it to be able to sleep at night. I feel good about the decision.”

“As long as it’s something you feel good about, that’s what’s important.”

He kissed her on top of her head and looked out at the way the moonlight reflected off the water. “Enough about that,” he said. “I don’t want to talk about work anymore.”

“Neither do I,” she said, leaning back against his chest. He heard her light sigh over the lapping of the water.

“You okay?” he asked.

“It feels like we’re leaving friend territory here, doesn’t it?”

“Does that bother you?”

“Yeah, a little. But only because I’m afraid.”

“I don’t want to give you any reasons to be afraid,” he said.

“I know.”

“What are we doing here?” she asked, staring out at the ocean.

“I wish I knew,” he admitted. “It would probably be easier for us to stay away from each other, stop putting ourselves in these kinds of situations. But not seeing you this week has been torture.”

“I know. I missed you.”

“I know I don’t deserve your trust after what I did. But you see that I’ve changed. I won’t hurt you.”

“I don’t believe you set out to hurt me before.” She paused. “Why did you do it? Why did you react like that?”

“I was dumb.”

“Yeah, I know that.”

“But also, I think I was afraid. I knew that if we slept together that night, I wouldn’t be able to forget you, like I did every other woman. It would have meant a lot more with you. It does mean a lot more.”

“Oh, boy, I think we’re in trouble, here, aren’t we?”

He lowered his head and chuckled into her hair. “We definitely are.”

Pressing her into the railing, he flexed his hips against her, showing her exactly what she did to him. He pushed the short flowy skirt of her dress over her hips. She was wearing a lace thong, that covered only the top of her gloriously round ass. He smoothed his palms over the mounds before pulling back and smacking her hard, and she cried out before laughing.

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