Page 31 of Embracing Hope

But not nearly enough…

Chapter Seven

Unsure that telling Isaac about her book was a good idea, it was too late to ponder it because the cat had been let out of the bag, and Hope couldn’t take the news back. She guessed she was tipsier than she thought.

“A tell-all?” He lifted a brow.

“Yes, but embellished to make for a great novel.”

“Something tells me you haven’t shared the news with your family.”

Clearing her throat, she explained, “That’s where things get a little messy.”

He shook his head. “Secrets only snowball.”

“So you say.”

“Damn. That’ll be an interesting conversation.” He steered with one hand and placed the other on the console between them. He had nice big hands and she craved to have them on her. Drinking made her horny. Hell, Isaac made her horny.

It only made her angry that she felt rejected by him.

“Don’t tell anyone.”

“Who am I going to tell?” He chuckled.

She eased back into the seat and shifted her chin to look at him. “I feel like I’m fraternizing with the enemy.”

He flicked his gaze in her direction. “I’m not the enemy.”

“One, you’re here to explore why Marcum Livestockshouldn’tmerge with Sagebrush Rose instead of why we should merge the two businesses.” She lifted her pointer finger. “And you have the attitude of a stubborn old mule.” She lifted a second finger. “Then there is the small pesky matter about you rejecting me.” He veered the truck off the road and slammed on the brakes, spraying gravel and dust into a cloud. “What are you doing?” she said once she’d uprighted herself.

“Do you always talk too much?” He scrubbed his hand down his jaw. “Do you know what your problem is?”

“No, but something tells me you’ll fill in the blanks.” She tilted her chin in challenge.

“You're so used to getting your way that you can’t see outside of your bubble. Guys do flips to get your attention and then drool when you give them a little attention. Have you ever had any man who didn’t want to jump in the sack with you?”

“Are you referring to yourself in that statement?”

He blew out a long breath. “Yeah, we took things from zero to a hundred in one night, but that was before—”

She swallowed hard. “Before what?”

He stared through the window for three long seconds before landing his sober gaze on her. “Before I got to know you,” he said.

The sting of his words sunk deep into the center of her bones. “So once you got to know me, you no longer wanted me sexually?”

“Wow. You do love to twist my words and torment me, don’t you?” He shook his head. “I’m saying, sure, I only expected to have a one-night thing with you, but there are some women you can’t just stop at one. Like a potato chip. You can’t just eat one.”

“And now you’re comparing me to a potato chip?” She raised her hands in frustration “You have the communication capability of a five-year-old.”

“I’m fucking this up.” He blew out a long breath. “I’m not always good with my words regarding these issues. You’re intriguing and beautiful, and any man would be lucky to have you in his life. You deserve someone who wants to be in a relationship.”

“And you’re not into relationships,” she muttered, more of a statement than a question.

“If only.”

“What makes you so sure that I want a relationship? Don’t assume I want to be in one any more than you do.” He looked at her in such a way that made her ask, “What?”

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