Page 11 of The Marine

CHAPTER FOUR

BRIAR

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Ithink I’m going tothrow up.

Aidan Black, a man I used to know intimately, surrounds me with his huge, muscular body as I step through the doorway. The desire to both run and turn into his arms collides inside me in a Technicolor of conflict.

How the hell did this happen?

I was supposed to sit in the meeting, keep my lips shut, and then get the hell out of dodge.

Aka no contact with Aidan.

We’ve been really good at ignoring one another for weeks. Yet here I am, taking him for a suit fitting.

Goddamn you, Savannah.

I should have told her about him. She’d hate to know she put me in this position if she was aware of my past. But I’m her personal assistant. It’s my actual job to do these things for her.

Plus, she’s pregnant and stressed and I’m hardly going to argue over such a minor task.

So here I am.

The elevator dings and Aidan holds out his arm for me to step in first. I stride in as if this is no big deal and look everywhere but at him as he joins me. A moment later, we’re both silently staring at the metal doors as the elevator takes us down.

I breathe in his subtle, expensive aftershave and feel the heat of his powerful body almost engulf me. Hating myself for enjoying it.

“Briar,” he rasps and begins to turn toward me.

Oh god.

I shake my head as my body begins to shudder and stare harder at the cold silver doors. “I can’t.”

Then there’s just deafening silence.

I was expecting him to say more, but he doesn’t.

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