Page 2 of Dangerous Proposal

“That’s noble, I guess.”

“Tell me, Evie, are you running from something?”

Evie stops dead and almost drops her book. She carefully closes it and slides it onto the table, leveling me with a stare. I’m not smiling anymore. I want her to see that I’m serious.

“No. Why would you ask me that?”

“Come on, everyone is running from something.” When she doesn’t answer, I lean forward again, almost desperate to be in her space. “I could protect you.”

“You just met me,” she breathes, but I can see her eyes light up.

She wants my protection. She wants me.

“Maybe, but I already know that I’m going to keep you safe,” I say with an air of finality.

My tone doesn’t seem to bother her. Instead, she shakes off whatever is happening behind those beautiful eyes and goes back to eating with a nervous chuckle. “Fine,” she says after a minute. “Prove it.”

“As much as I’d love to prove myself right, you won’t even know you’re in danger. I’m that good.”

“Well, then thank you for your service in advance,” she says, the corner of her mouth quirking at her own joke.

Heat flashes through me. I can’t get enough of her. Her smile, the defiant sparkle in her eyes, her little giggle. I want it all. I want it every day.

“You don’t believe me,” I state.

“I don’t,” she says with a shrug, taking another bite. I wait for her to swallow, staying silent and watching the way hermouth works, my eyes following the slope of her jaw. “I might be new to the city, but I know how guys like you are.”

“Guys like me?” I ask, a low grumble rising from my chest. I don’t ever want to be compared to any moron she’s interacted with in the past.

“Yeah,” Evie says as she finishes the pasta on her plate. “You’re overly confident, walking in like you own the place. It’s all a show to try to get with me, right?”

I chuckle, letting the annoyance die within me. What an adorable little thing to assume I’m anything like these city boys.

“What?” she blurts, her mouth flattening into a line. “Something funny?”

“Oh, nothing,” I laugh. “It’s just you have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Chapter Two

EVIE

Since arriving in New York City just a few months ago, I’ve turned down more men than I can count. They’re all the same, pretending to be impressive when they’re all the same, run-of-the-mill boys just looking for a quick thrill. Despite growing up in a small town, I like to think I’m fairly smart and perceptive; I’m not the naïve little girl everyone sees.

All the men scatter as soon as I call them out on their bullshit—except Red. He doesn’t leave, and that throws me. He’s older, much older than the usual idiots who think they can charm me into going home with them. The sharp lines around his dark, nearly black eyes speak of a life I can’t begin to imagine, giving him a weight that feels different. It makes me curious. I shouldn’t want to know more about him, but I do. And, against my better judgment, I can’t stop thinking about how it might feel to run my hands over his buzzed black hair.

“I think I know what I’m talking about,” I say, surprised by how easily the words come. Normally, it takes me a while to feel this comfortable with someone, to let a conversation flow so naturally. There’s an odd connection between us, a fire that’s just started. I’m nineteen, but I know when I feel a pull towards someone.

“You’re cute,” he says. I can feel my cheeks reddening as he smiles. “There’s a whole world you don’t know about.”

“There’s plenty I don’t know,” I say matter-of-factly. I try to clear my throat discreetly, my heart rate picking up its pace under the weight of his stare.

"I think you don’t know anything about guys like me," Red says, his body easing into a relaxed stance. He’s enjoying this, clearly amused by the way I’m starting to stumble over myself.

And I can’t lie… I think I like it. The way he’s toying with me sends a wave of heat through me, a warmth that settles deep in my stomach. My body reacts in ways I’ve never quite felt before, a pulse low in my core that’s both thrilling and disarming.

“Yeah?” I say in an attempt to regain my control. “Prove it then. Show me you’re not exactly the kind of guy I think you are.”

“Okay,” Red says with a shrug as he pulls himself to his feet. He offers me his hand, and I get a glimpse of tattoos underneath his sleeves. I stare for a beat too long before taking it. “I’ll show you.”

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