Page 14 of Scarred Heart

“I just want to be famous.”Her voice was soft, wistful.She traced invisible shapes on my chest with one polished fingernail, sighing.“I want to stand up there on a stage while holding an award.I want to soak in all the applause.I want those blinding lights in my eyes.”

I shouldn’t have chuckled.Her head snapped up, eyes flashing.“What?You don’t think I can?”

“Relax.”I folded an arm under my head, laughing when she swatted my hand away from her shoulder.“Why do you always get pissed off before I get a chance to explain?”

Her body sagged against mine a little as she whispered, “I guess you don’t know what it’s like when all you ever hear is people laughing at your dreams.”

“Mr.Collins?”I turned around to face the receptionist and her strained smile.“Miss McNulty finished the conference early so she could accommodate you.”It had better be worth it.She didn’t have to say it out loud.I got the message.

Rather than remind her I’d told her so, I followed her through the small office.It was almost quaint, not much more than a well-decorated hole in the wall.I would have to keep my opinions to myself—something told me Rowan wouldn’t appreciate hearing them.

What was I doing?Flying blind by the seat of my pants.Last night left a bad taste in my mouth.She could fall back on that contract all she wanted, but I needed to be sure.

And dammit, she’d had the last word.That didn’t sit well with me, either.

She sat behind a modern, sleek desk in a similarly appointed office with a decent view of downtown.Her sleeveless, sky-blue dress almost matched her eyes and showed off her firm body without revealing too much.Sexy as all fuck.

“Can I get you something to drink?”the receptionist asked me while Rowan stared at her computer screen, fingers tapping the keys.

“No, thank you.”What I needed was for her to leave us alone.She did that soon enough, closing the door behind her, leaving me standing in the middle of the room like a jackass.

“I said everything I had to say last night.”Rowan was still typing, focused on the screen, effectively ignoring me.“Everything is settled, and you have nothing to worry about.But thank you for giving me an excuse to get off the phone.I was bored out of my mind.”

“Don’t tell me that’s all you care about.”

“Getting off the phone?”she asked.

So this was the game she wanted to play.“Everything being settled,” I gritted out.

Her head snapped around almost eerily fast.“What if it is?”She was glaring, but she was looking at me.At least, she could give me that much courtesy.

“Do we have to leave things like this?”If there was ever a time for my charm to come to the rescue, it was now.I flashed a grin, approaching the desk with my hands in my pockets.“You mean to say after all these years, there’s nothing but hostility?I’ve already explained that I wanted to be there for you.”

“And I appreciate that.I understand now.”Her fingers drummed faintly on the desk, something I pointedly ignored.

Taking a seat without waiting for permission, I shrugged.“Why don’t we try again?”

She gave a start like an electric current ran through her, asking, “Try what, exactly?Because I think we’re past the dating stage.And thanks to you, I’m now allergic to irresponsible playboys.”

“Then it’s a good thing I’m no longer irresponsible,” I reminded her with a smirk while devouring her with my gaze.She had no idea what that icy attitude did to me, how it made me want to melt her down.

“Meaning what?”she asked, suspicious.

Meaning you look like mortal sin in that dress, and I want an excuse to peel it off you.“Meaning, let me take you for dinner tonight.Believe it or not, I would like to know more about your life.”

Her teeth sank into her lip, and fuck me.Everything the woman did was designed to drive me crazy.I had the feeling the last thing she hoped for was my hands anywhere near her body, meaning she wouldn’t intentionally turn me on.

Down, boy.Here I was, concerned with a possible scandal over the crash, and now I was looking at the possibility of a harassment suit if I popped a boner out of nowhere.

With her eyes downcast, she murmured, “There isn’t much to know.”

Did she know what a bad liar she was?“Tell me something.In your particular type of law, do you have to do a lot of bluffing?If you do, you might want to get better at it.”

“That’s enough.You can go now.Honestly,” she insisted, shooing me toward the door with one hand.“You can go your way with a clear conscience.I made it through.I came out on the other side, and I’m doing better than ever.I don’t need you to take me to dinner to smooth things over, and I’m not particularly interested in what life looks like for you nowadays.”

“Are you sure about that?”Because, again, she wouldn’t look me in the eye.Not for long, averting her gaze like it hurt to look at me.Like she was lying.

“Sorry to inform you.”Her full lips curved in a sarcastic, sugary smile.“But you are not that fascinating.”

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