Page 71 of Love or Tequila in Unexpected Places

And that frustrated her more than she cared to admit.

Why had he said it if he didn’t want her to hear it? And why would he regret it? Those questions scorched her mind like vitriol, playing on a loop she couldn’t stop. His whispered words had struck her deeply—they had pierced her like a bullet through glass, leaving her bleeding and yearning for the comfort of his embrace to mend the wounds.

She wanted to believe his words were sincere, to find solace in the idea that there was truth in his affection.

But what if there wasn’t?

It was all driving her to the edge of insanity. Angelo was unpredictable—one moment warm, the next distant—and she was losing her damn mind.

So, Allison couldn’t sleep.

She tried distracting herself with her favorite billionaire romance on her Kindle, hoping to grow tired, but instead, she just kept twisting and turning in bed, Angelo’s face haunting her thoughts. Now it was three in the morning, and she was supposed to be up for work at seven. Her father had suggested she take the full nine months off, but Allison actually liked working—despite the challenges.

When she first started as her father’s personal assistant, she’d hated it. Oliver Lockwood was a demanding boss and an even more demanding father.

But about a year into the job, something shifted. Her father didn’t exactly become kind, but he wasn’t as harsh, either. And that small change allowed Allison to discover what it was like to work at the helm of a conglomerate like Lockwood Inc.

And she loved it.

Her heart was in finance, even though her current role kept her closer to the administrative side. She hoped that once her brother finally took over as CEO, she could move into the financial department and immerse herself in the numbers.

But tonight, all she wanted was rest.

Angelo, however, refused to leave her thoughts. He had taken camp inside the deepest corners of her mind and simply wouldn’t let hersleep.

She sighed and returned to her book.

Allison adored romance novels. In a world often lacking love, she knew she could always find it within the pages of a book.

Plus, the smut was always a bonus.

Why couldn’t Angelo be more like Dante Russo, the brooding billionaire in her story? That man had his flaws, sure, but at least he was consistent. He was taking Vivian to freakingParisfor crying out loud. Meanwhile, here she was, lying awake, going over every decision she’d made that led to that moment in his car.

She read two more chapters before sleep finally took her.

And, naturally, she dreamed of Angelo.

Allison was running late.

Obviously.

Today was her office day for the week. She’d meant to wake up at six, even set several alarms just in case. Of course, she woke up at six-forty instead, which kicked off a mad dash through her apartment—getting dressed, eating a cheese sandwich because morning sickness and simple carbs were apparently a match made in heaven, and trying to make herself look somewhat presentable.

In the end, she pulled it off with an olive green, knee-length, long-sleeved sweater dress and black pumps—while she could still wear them. She threw her hair into a low bun and skipped the makeup, tossing her mascara tube into her bag with a plan to apply it in the car once she got to work.

And that, she decided, would have to be good enough.

But, naturally, she ended up stuck in traffic, and her mind drifted to its favorite subject: Angelo fucking Taylor, businessman extraordinaire and resident hottie.

She couldn’t pinpoint exactly when her obsession with the man had begun, but lately, he was a constant presence in her thoughts. If she were being honest, the number of times he popped into her head was probably inching toward the territory of mental illness.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop thinking about him, so she chose to indulge her curiosity.

Her mind kept replaying that tense moment in his car. She couldn’t quite explain it, didn’t have the right words, butshe’d felt something from him that day. Something different. Something that scared her.

Not that she thought Angelo would ever hurt her. Sure, he’d been intimidating at their littlereunionin her father’s office, but she hadn’t been afraid.

Annoyed, definitely.

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