Page 24 of Condemned By Secrets

Luther stared after Anna in a daze. For such a little thing, she packed quite the punch.

In more ways than one.

He’d thought tasting her would satiate the hunger, but it intensified it. Now, he wanted her more than ever. Damn, she was sweet.

And spicy.

Luther rubbed at his jaw in thought. What had made her flip out on him like that? She’d been so pliant, so willing in his arms. It had been clear she wanted him too, but then she’d cooled like someone had flipped a switch, and suddenly he was dealing with her evil twin. He wasn’t sure what had caused it, but either way, she sure as hell owed him an explanation.

Shutting the front door, Luther walked back to his bedroom to change. He’d give Anna time to cool off, but this wasn’t over. Far from it.

Luther switched into running shorts and grabbed a water bottle on his way out the door. His system was all kinds of confused. A run would at least work off the excess adrenaline pumping through his veins since he wasn’t getting the other form of release he craved.

CHAPTER 9

Anna had never been much into zombies, but she felt she’d pass as one right now. Taking a sip of her coffee, she sighed. After what had happened with Luther, she hadn’t been able to sleep. Her thoughts had kept her tossing and turning. One minute she’d hated Luther; the next, she’d hated herself. Maybe he’d tricked her, but she’d let him do it. She’d let Luther seduce her, just like she’d let Dan. The difference was, with Luther, a part of her ached for him to do it again.

Fudge on toast!She was a mess. Groaning, Anna lowered her head to the steering wheel. She was dragging her feet. It was time to go into work, but she was sitting in her car, berating herself. As if it would change anything.

Gawd, I’m tired.

When she’d been fortunate enough to drift off last night, she’d dreamt of Luther, and the dreams had been all too real. The kiss they’d shared played on repeat every time she’d closed her eyes, and she’d wake from dreams wanting him to do it again, only to hate herself for it.

Sighing, Anna lifted her head and made one last check of her reflection in the visor mirror. There was little she could do to hide how drained she looked. Her usually pale complexion was wan, and she had dark circles under eyes that were bloodshot from crying. She’d tried to cover it up with concealer but only partially succeeded.

I should’ve taken a sick day.

Even thinking that made her feel weak, she refused to let Luther, or any man, make her feel that way. Determined to push him out of her mind, Anna slammed her car door and headed to work. With any luck, she’d be in before the rest of the team, avoiding the concerned looks and questions bound to come her way.

But fate had other ideas.

“Ah, there you are, Anna.” Richard’s voice grated on her overly wound nerves, and Anna had to take a deep breath before turning to face him.

He must have been in his office because he now stood behind her in the hall. She’d been mere steps away from her sanctuary and cursed the universe for being so cruel.

“Good morning, Richard.” She didn’t bother to try to smile. At this point, it would likely turn into a grimace.

He took a step toward her, and she stood her ground even though the sight of him made her skin crawl. “Are you feeling all right? You look rather . . . pale.”

“I’m a little under the weather . . . probably best not to come too close,” she added with a smirk of satisfaction.That’s right. Stay away from me.

Of course, the arrogant jerk didn’t heed her warning. He took a step closer, his expression feigning concern, but it contrasted with the sharp look in his eyes. “I’m sorry to hear that. If you’d like, I could handle things for today while you get some rest.”

He’d like that, wouldn’t he? For her to turn over power to him.Well, not going to happen, slimeball.

“Thank you for the offer, but I’ll be fine.” Anna nodded and turned away, ready to get started on the list of things she needed to get done today.

Turning her back on Richard was a mistake. He stopped her progress with a hand on her shoulder, and she flinched, unable to hide her revulsion.

“Don’t touch me.” Anna swung around to face him, the force of her anger bringing color to her cheeks.

Richard held both of his hands up in a show of surrender. “Whoa,” he said with a smile, “someone’s a little prickly. I just wanted to talk to you about the farm project before you dive into other things.”

“Oh.” Anna relaxed—a little. “All right, then. Come in.”

She entered her office and was relieved when Richard sat in the chair across from her desk—away from her. If he wanted to talk about the project—and he wasn’t going to bring up what happened the other night—she could handle this.

Anna sat at her desk and turned on her computer. “Okay, Richard. What do you propose for Yeoman’s Hall.”

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