Page 16 of Too Good to be True

"I thought there was no guy."

I gasp. My heart soars to the heavens. That voice! I have to stop myself from jumping on the table and yelling, “It's him!”

I turn my head so my eyes can confirm what my trembling body already knows. The man standing next to me in gray slacks and a black button-down shirt is the man I've been looking for all day.

“Is he your boyfriend?” His caramel eyes pierce me.

"No."

"Who is he?"

I shrug. “No one."

I owe this man nothing, but I want to make it clear that Ian doesn't mean anything to me. I'mhis. If he wants me. I scoot over in the booth, making room for him to sit with me. Understanding my unspoken offer, he slides in next to me.

"He doesn't look like no one. He looks like a guy that wants you."

Embarrassed, I shake my head and drop my eyes. It's hard to admit under his scrutiny because I want him to feel the same intense attraction for me that I feel for him.

“Trust me; he doesn't. He was being nice so that I wouldn’t be alone. He's not interested in me like that. Guys don’t want me like that.” Boy, does that hurt to say, even if it is true.

I don't know if I'm right or if I'm downplaying Ian's interest. It sort of felt like he was interested, but that’s not my life, that’s Francesca’s. And If he truly was, wouldn't he have found me by now? Either way, it doesn't matter. Ian isn't the oneIwant.

There's something about this stranger that draws me to him. That captivates me. He has me dangling from a hook like a helpless worm. I just hope I don't end up as dead and devoured as the poor squirming creature.

"Of course he wants you." The sexy man next to me assures, moving closer to me on the bench. “He has eyes, doesn’t he?” He asks, brushing my hair behind my shoulder and leaning in with his thigh pressing against mine.

His electric touch sizzles below the surface and commands me. I’ve never reacted to anyone like this. This is the man who holds the key to forgetting Corey. The secret to moving on. Even if I don’t yet know his name.

“I thought about you all day.”

“Really?” My thudding heart lights with a warm glow.

“Mmm. I half thought I was delirious last night. I thought I imagined you or that I was visited by an angel.”

“Sorry to disappoint. I don’t strut around in my bra and underwear while wearing a pair of wings.”

“What I wouldn’t give to see that.” His hand cups my cheek, and his thumb strokes my skin. My face burns from his touch. I hold my breath as he leans in, inches away. I hold my breath, hoping he kisses me as his eyes bore into mine.

I shrug, unable to take his scrutiny any longer, and drop my stare.

“I get the feeling that you don’t believe that you’re beautiful. Verybeautiful.”

His hand drops to my shoulder, allowing his fingers to brush against the exposed skin between my neck and my shoulder, acting like a match sparking against a striking surface. After a few seconds, he slides his hand under my hair and pulls my head close to his lips.

“Is it so hard to believe that I want you? That I can’t imagine a man being near you and not wanting to strip your clothes and have his way with you?”

My mouth opens. Not so much to answer, but in surprise. This is the moment he closes the distance, bringing his mouth to mine. His tongue, soft and gentle, glides between my lips, against my tongue, whirling, twirling. His warm peppermint breath makes my mouth tingle.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.” He breaks away, breathing heavily. “It was on my mind all day. I promised myself if I saw you, this time, I’d steal a kiss.”

Wide-eyed and open-mouthed, I sidle up closer to him. So close, I’m almost sitting on his lap. My hands search for his shoulders. They’re so large and muscular beneath my fingers. I want to hold on and never let go.

“Don’t be sorry. If everything you just said is true, don’t apologize.”

My fingers, along with my eyes, trail down his arms, over his large biceps. He’s all hard muscle. I wonder what else is hard. What is wrong with me? I don’t think about men like this! But now that I am, the thought sends a flood of heat surging through me. My breath hitches. My pulse races.

“Now that I’m awake and have free time, are you ready to have some fun?”

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