Page 7 of Flynn

We never talked about my parents or how they died, and I suspected Trevor knew more about the accident than he let on. He was just waiting for me to open up first. I never bothered to. The way I saw it, the past was in the past, and nothing I did would change it. Talking about it just kept it in the present.

Ellis and I had finally had it out years ago, and we’d never repaired that bridge. I didn’t think there was any point. I’d called him out for his bullshit, and he didn’t like that his actions had consequences. In the end, we’d walked our separate ways and Uncle Trevor let us keep our distance.

Chiara stopped so suddenly that I stumbled into her. I grabbed her shoulders to stop us both from falling to the ground and looked around for the problem.

“Damn,” she whispered before she spun to face me, pressing herhands into my chest. I realized she was trying to push me backwards into a small alcove.

“What?” I asked, trying to see what bothered her.

“Ellis,” she whispered.

Shit…we weren’t ready for that confrontation yet. I noted the potted tree by the entrance and dropped my bag before dragging the heavy pot over slightly to give us better cover in the alcove. It took longer than I would have liked, but I managed it. Pushing Chiara against the wall, I angled my body to block her. Hopefully anyone walking by wouldn’t even look, and if they did, they’d think it was a couple looking for a few private moments.

“Are we near the hotel?” I whispered, trying to spot anyone walking by. She didn’t answer and I glanced back down at her, frowning. “Ara?”

“Huh?” she said, wide gray eyes blinking up at me as if I’d surprised her. I couldn’t help the small smile tugging at my lips or the way my blood rushed hot. The small stain of pink spreading across her cheeks told me she still found me attractive, and I inwardly cheered. It wasn’t just me finding it hard to concentrate.

I’d known she liked me as a teenager—her small lingering looks and cute blushes had clued me in—but she had a surprisingly strong idea of what was good for her, even then. She’d known I was not right for her, which was good, because if she’d flirted with me before that last night, I would have worked at her until I had her, and she deserved so much more than the train wreck I’d been.

I was still no good for her. In my mind, I knew that, but my body refused to get with the fucking program. Being this close to her and not making a move—especially when I could tell she was as affected by me as I was by her—was out of character. She wanted me; I wanted her. Normally, that was all the green light I needed.

But not with Ara. There was too much at risk for this job, and Inever wanted her to feel like a notch on my bedpost. She wasn’t the kind of woman you fucked and walked away from. Even so, the temptation to test the water was too much.

Keeping one hand pressed to the wall by her head, I tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and lowered my voice. “Are we near the hotel?”

Her already wide eyes widened further, and she took a sharp intake of breath. I was playing with fire.

My question sounded like it had a double meaning, but I couldn’t help myself. I’d always been a flirt, and making the grown-up Chiara blush gave me a rush.

“Y-yes,” she whispered breathily, her gaze lowering to my mouth.

My body tightened at the idea of kissing her, but I reminded myself who she was, that she deserved more, and then mentally slapped myself again.

I was working.

Fuck it. I’d never slept with a client before, but the idea of breaking that streak for Ara was more than tempting. I wasn’t sure if she’d give me the time of day again once this was all over.

You’re not good for her.

The voice in my head whispered darkly, and I cleared my throat.

I turned my head again to see Ellis laugh with someone as he passed by. Seeing my cousin after all these years—even from a distance—brought back the fire in my gut that pushed me to lose my cool whenever he was around. I’d learned restraint in the Army, but Ellis had a way of getting under my skin. I wanted to rip the smug smile from his face.

Chiara shifted, and I pushed away from her before I gave in to my body’s demands to seduce her. Call me cocky, but I was pretty sure I could, especially with the way she was looking at me.

“He’s gone,” I said.

She dropped her gaze from mine, and I leaned down to scoop up my bag and give her a chance to collect herself.

“Okay. We should just concentrate on getting to the room. We’ll catch up more there,” she said, her tone more professional this time.

“Lead the way,” I said with an easy smile, holding out my arm for her to lead the way.

Chapter Three

Chiara

Holysmokes, Batman!

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