Page 95 of South Beach Bodyguards

“I don’t want to be anyone’s moral responsibility.” Now there was every woman’s fantasy. Talk about feeling like a burden.

“Don’t be stubborn out of pride.”

“I could say the exact same thing to you. You don’t need to do this. It’s not your problem. I’m not your problem.”

He looked away, down the street. The traffic was thick, as it always was, and a motorcycle was idling near us on the corner of 11th Street. When I was an undergrad, I had thought I would want to live here, but now it was too noisy for me. But Wester looked like he belonged there. He was pretty enough. Cool enough. Sexy enough. I was out of my element, despite the cobalt blue heels I was sporting.

When he finally looked back at me, I almost took a step back. He looked fierce. Hungry.

“You’re not my problem, you’re my goddamn solution. Because my problem is I’ve only known you for thirty some hours and I can’t stop thinking about you.”

I had the same problem. It was a good and a bad thing.

“I can’t get the taste of you off my tongue.”

Oh, my word, that sounded so damn sexy when he said that.

“And I can’t take no for an answer. I know you want me to disappear, but I can’t do that, Olivia. I can’t walk away from you.”

I was drunk, but he had lost his mind. Even though when I looked at him I was drawn straight into his orbit and wanted to live inside the sensual world he created. This couldn’t work. I didn’t even know what he was suggesting. There was a lump in my throat and I swallowed hard. Masking my emotions was close to impossible on the best of days, but now I knew whatever I was feeling was clearly displayed. Fortunately, it was mostly confusion. “What do you mean?” I whispered.

“I mean.” He took a step toward me and put his hands on my bare shoulders. I almost jumped out of my skin. “I want this to be real.”

Oh, no. No, no, no, and no. He was not going to mess with my head like this. I couldn’t handle him offering something impulsively that he didn’t really mean. My cheeks felt flushed. “Wester, you don’t have to do this. You don’t owe me anything. I’m a big girl. I knew what I was doing this afternoon.”

He threw his hands up in exasperation. “This isn’t me trying to make it right. I want to get to know you. I think I kind of might actually sort of like you.”

After that bit of stupid sunk in, I actually burst out laughing. It was probably a major concession for Wester, but that was a very lukewarm declaration. “Thanks. I think I like you, too, but it could just be the trauma.”

For a second he looked offended, then he gave a snort. “You’re a piece of work.”

“I’m drunk, that’s what I am.”

“So are you saying yes? Or if you say yes now will you change your mind when you’re sober?”

“What am I saying yes to?” I needed clarification. Specifics. Because I was buzzed and I was starting to think he was too.

“To me. To a date.”

The most ridiculous girlish delight rolled over me. He wanted to date me. He maybe sort of actually liked me. He wanted to kiss me. It was hard to keep my cool when I was so insanely giddy. “Just one? I guess I can do that.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Isn’t one usually a precursor to two?”

“Only in the first one goes well. It’s like an audition.” For once, I felt like I had the upper hand with Wester. This seemed almost painful to him.

“Fine. Friday night. I’ll pick you up at eight.”

He took a step forward and I knew he was going to kiss me. “Nope.” I put my hand over his mouth. “Not before the first date. And I’m definitely not going home with you tonight so don’t ask.” That was next, I could tell.

His powers of persuasion were too great for me to resist if he landed even one kiss and if he wanted this, whatever this was, to be real, then we needed to start at the beginning.

He looked completely bewildered. “Why not? We’ve already had sex. Twice.”

As if I needed reminding. “How can we date if we’re hooking up? The sex needs to stop until at least the fourth date.”

Now his jaw dropped. “What kind of bullshit is that?”

“That’s how people date! That’s how relationships start. Haven’t you had a girlfriend before?”

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