Page 34 of The Bachelor

“I think you’ve been ditched,” Shane said, his hands in his pockets. His hair had fallen into his eyes and he tossed it back. “You’re stuck with me.”

“I’ll just grab a cab. That’s how I got here. I don’t have a car.” She took a slow step backwards, not sure what else to do.

“Then come here and say goodbye,” he said, putting his hands out and opening his arms as he closed the distance between them.

Holy crud, he was going to hug her. He was going to pull her against his chest and hug her and it was not professional in any way. It was what friends who had known each other in the business for years did. Longtime co-workers out socially. Lovers. Not casual acquaintances. But it was already happening so she had to go with and hope it was loose and quick, which really were two words she never wanted applied to Shane, but in this case were necessary.

But no. It wasn’t either of those things. It was close and firm and it lingered on and on while she smelled his cologne and the beer he’d been drinking. While she was overwhelmed by the memory of what it had felt like to be held by him after sex, her head easily resting on his chest, as though it belonged there. While she pondered the cruel irony of discovering her first lover was the man who may or may not hold the key to her career success and yet all she wanted to do was tilt her head up and offer him her mouth.

Then offer him her body.

But she was going to resist temptation, even if it killed her.

When he softly kissed her temple, she was sure it would.

SIXTEEN

Shane had known the very second that he had walked into the restaurant and seen Avery standing there in that same white dress she’d worn the night they met, that he had to touch her again. He had spent the last two hours talking casually, eating, drinking, doing everything that was normal and expected and appropriate. All the while having flashbacks to that dress, hiked up around her waist, her damp pussy right in front of him as he brought her to an orgasm with his tongue. He could hear the sound of her throaty cries still, feel her legs clamping onto his head. Smell and taste her arousal, and feel that tight heat of her untried body when he had thrust inside her.

It was hell to sit there, knowing that everything he had convinced himself of in the last three months—that she was nothing special, that he had been overly tired and that had heightened his arousal and emotional reaction to her—was a bunch of bullshit. She was something special. There was no way, just none, that he was going to take no for an answer no matter how many dinners with unintentional chaperone Pat he had to sit through, or how many times he had to ask, or how many devious angles he had to take to charm Avery back into bed. It was horribly ironic that the one woman who didn’t seem eager to just sheet dive with him was the very woman he wanted to get naked with repeatedly.

As he pulled her in tight, pressing her breasts against his chest and inhaling the scent of her shampoo, he wondered if it was the challenge. He didn’t like being the one left behind in a bed the morning after, he could admit that. But even as he pondered it, he knew what he was feeling went beyond that. She was the kind of woman he hadn’t encountered often and he thought she was funny, clever, and the oddest mix of confident and shy. When he kissed the side of her head, he knew he’d gone too far, but he couldn’t resist. He couldn’t even blame it on the beer. He wasn’t even remotely buzzed.

She jerked back out of his arms. “Shane, please, don’t. We’re in public.”

“So in private it’s okay, then?” He figured he could push a little further before she ran. And he wanted to push. “At least you gave me a first name again. That Mr. Hart crap was annoying. I felt like a high school teacher.”

Her cheeks were pink. “Not in public or private. There will be no touching, Mr. Hart. Period.”

He’d give her credit for sticking to her guns. “Charming,” he told her in a low, slow drawl. All the Kentucky he still had oozed back into his voice. “But you’re kicking up a fuss for no reason. You do understand what private means don’t you, Little Miss Smart Mouth?”

“I understand everything. Including the fact that you have nothing to lose and I have everything to lose. So no can do, no matter how many times you stare at me with those sexy eyes of yours.”

At least he’d gotten her to admit she wanted him. That was definitely implied in her words. “Just to be clear, I never said anything about touching. That was your idea.”

That seemed to fluster her and she stood there blustering, her hands fisting and then releasing. For a split second he felt like the asshole he’d sworn not to be.

“Avery, I won’t get you fired, I promise. I would never want that.” He used a normal voice, needing to reassure her. No one would give a shit if he was seeing her or having sex with her or whatever with her. It was an intimate industry and everyone knew everyone. Rusted Truck was not going to pull the plug on a promising songwriter who would make them money because they may or may not be involved. “I’m thrilled for you. You clearly have talent and I know you’re going to go on to big things in this town. All of that has nothing to do with me. So trust me, I would never want to negatively impact your career.” He took her elbow, drew her outside the restaurant where there were no eyes to watch them.

“I want to believe you, but this job is important, Shane. It’s everything to me.”

“I know, doll. I get that.” God, why was his twang lingering? He forced himself to concentrate on his diction. “You trusted me once. You need to trust me again. I gave you my number. I don’t expect yours. If you want to see me this weekend or talk to me, the ball is in your court. Otherwise, I’ll see you Monday morning at Rusted Truck with Hart-Rivers in tow. Is that cool?”

She nodded, though she was frowning as if she were trying to find the trap. “That’s cool. Thank you.”

“Oh, one last thing.”

“What’s that?”

“I’ve been thinking about you nonstop for three months. I can’t get the taste of you out of my mouth. I want you, Avery. I want to peel that dress off of you again and I want to make you come so hard that you forget your own name.”

Her eyes widened and her lips drifted apart.

“I want to kiss you from head to toe and take you to a fancy dinner that you deserve and see if champagne can make you giggle. I want to wake up and find you still asleep in bed beside me and I want to make you breakfast. I want to make you mine. All mine. I just thought you should know that.”

No woman had ever made him want to scramble her an egg, but Avery did, and he wanted her to know that.

“I… I thought you said the ball was in my court.” She flicked her tongue across her bottom lip nervously.

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