Page 20 of Tempt Me

He grins. “No, pesos. Of course, dollars.”

“I’m sorry.” I try to collect myself. I shouldn’t be losing my cool with a prospective buyer like this, but high-end clients don’t come by Fortune & Adler often—they pick the flashy, big firms to do their business. “That budget should... give you a lot of flexibility.”

“Good.” Jase nods. “How about you put together some properties, and we go take a look. This week?”

I make a note. “That should be fine.” I can’t wait to see Marcie’s face when I tell her I have a new client. But still, I can’t help pausing to check. “Are you sure you want me as your broker? I’m just a junior agent, and there are tons of people with more contacts and experience than me.”

Jase looks puzzled. “You don’t want my business?”

“No, of course I do!” I protest. “I just don’t want to disappoint you, that’s all.”

He stares at me a moment with an expression I’ve never seen before. “You could never be a disappointment, Chloe,” he says softly.

Something clenches in my chest. I look away. These days, it feels like all I do is let people down. Max, his family, my boss...

“Hey.” When I look up, Jase is still watching me. “Are you OK?”

“Sure. Great.” I exclaim brightly, “I have a wedding to plan, and a big new client. Why would anything be wrong?”

I leap to my feet before he can answer. “I should get going, start lining up some properties for you to see. I’ll give you a call tomorrow, OK?”

“Alright, that sounds good—”

I don’t wait around for Jase to finish. I grab my stuff and bolt for the door. I let my guard down just now, and I feel off-balance, like the ground just got snatched away.

As I’m walking fast down the street, my head spinning, I feel my phone buzz with a text. It’s Max.

Missing you, beautiful.

I grip my phone tightly. This is what I should be holding onto—the fresh start with him, this life I’ve been working so hard to build.

So why does it feel like Jase sees the real me? Not just the girl I’m trying to be for Max—working so hard to live up to his standards and expectations. But me, Chloe, full of doubt and insecurity, and all my sharp edges.

Jase looks at me like I’m perfect. And with one simple sentence, he just told me everything my heart has been longing to hear.

“You could never be a disappointment.”

I feel a pang of confusion. I’m playing with fire every moment I spend with Jase, but I can’t afford to take this risk. I’ve thrown away everything on blind lust before, and look where it left me: so broken, I didn’t think I could ever fit the broken pieces back together again.

No, Jase is just an illusion. Max is the one who’s for real.

I won’t screw my heart up again.

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