Page 38 of Tangled with the Tight End

“If you insist.” I rest my hands in my lap and wait.

When I step outside, a cool, brisk wind whips at my hair, and then his hands are on my face, and his lips cover mine. I whimper and step into him, pretending to myself that I’m using him to keep warm. Lies. All of it is lies. I kiss him back as his strong arms encircle me. His solid body pressed into mine.

Shit. I’m in so much trouble.

He pulls back. “You’re beautiful with your eyes shining as they look up at me. With your perfectly kissable lips swollen from my kiss,” he growls. “And that whimper. Fuck if it doesn’t make me want to take you right here and make you forget your own name.”

Space. My heart hammers in my throat. I need space. This may be how he talks to all the women he beds, but this is not reality to me. I can’t survive him paying this kind of attention to me and not fall in love with him. And then what? He happily returns to his carefree life, and I’m left miserable and alone in the cold with only my log fireplace to warm me at night.

I step back. “Let’s eat. I’m starving.”

“As you wish.”

For fuck sakes, he did not just quote my favorite movie. I knew he was an asshole when I met him. I walk briskly to the front entrance as he trails behind.

After stomping my feet on the lobby rug, he whisks me away from the direction of the dining room and leads me down a hallway and to a private room. The space is warm and inviting but only big enough for an intimate party.

The one table is laden with a bucket of ice and champagne. Two flutes with silver covered patterns. “Get comfortable so I can feed you.”

I stop with my hand on my coat’s zipper. “You aren’t feeding me.”

“No?” His eyes dance. “Too bad.” He chuckles as he discards his outwear and removes the dome lids from the stainless-steel platters. The lights are low but bright enough to make out everything in the room.

My mouth waters as lobster, shrimp, steak, steamed vegetables, and salad are uncovered. Who does this? Who woos a lady he has no intention of seeing again. Tears prick my eyes. Son of a bitch. I straighten my spine. This is all a game to him, and I’m not falling for it. For him. I’m stronger than that.

I pull out my chair and watch silently as he fills my plate and prepares his, joining me across the table. “Why Lips & Hips?”

The small fireplace in the corner dances with flames and crackles, adding to the ambience.

My hand freezes on the fork. “It was called Evergreen Lake Bistro when my parents ran it, but I wanted something more fun and trendier.”

“Like you.” He nods and opens the bottle of champagne, pouring each of us a glass. “It fits the place. Cute, smart, and easy to remember.”

“Thank you.” Heat covers my cheeks again.

“Do you want to expand more than to the lodge?”

“I hope to. There’s a few towns close by that typically don’t come here to do their business, so they would provide solid opportunities for expansion.”

“Are they large enough to support your business and the others already established?”

We eat between questions as some of the tension eases from my shoulders. I can talk about business strategy any day. “Yes, at least two of them would.” I shrug. “The third, I’m not sure about. They have mom-and-pop places that do both breakfast foods and baked goods. Not as many options as I provide, but I’m not sure there’s room for both without one running the other out of business.”

He rests his elbow on the table. “How many people in the town and surrounding area?”

For several minutes, he peppers me with questions as we toss over the pros and cons. It doesn’t take long to discover that his love for business management wasn’t something he did just to play college football. He took his studies seriously.

“Not that I’m in any rush. If I expanded, it’ll be first at one of the other two larger towns.”

“Tell me about those locations. Do they have empty buildings? Are they solid construction?”

Thirty minutes later, I’m stuffed and buzzing from the two glasses of champagne.

“I’m sorry.” I glance outside as the shadows grow in the room. Maybe it was longer than I thought. I glance at my watch. An hour? How did we talk about my business for over an hour? “You must be bored.”

“Bored?” He frowns. “I was the one asking the questions, and when I retire, I’d like to do something with that business degree of mine.”

Right. When he retires. My shoulders sink. Don’t get wrapped up in something with an expiration date. Remember the reason you can’t be together. Or one of the reasons. “What drew you to football?”

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