Page 23 of First Comes Revenge

She lowers her eyes, so I press the side of my index finger to her chin and lift her face so she’s meeting my gaze. “You. Look. Incredible.Shit. What did Vaughn pull to make a woman like you so self conscious?”

She stares at the ground, like it’s her fault.

Her smile is almost tragic, and it makes me want to invent a time machine so I can go into her past and punch every asshole responsible for making this woman think she has any reason to be self-conscious. “Thank you,” she says like she doesn’t believe me.

I throw my arm around her shoulder and start walking in no particular direction.

“Any word from your legal people yet?” she asks.

“Nothing conclusive.”

She just nods, as if she was expecting as much.

We make it a few blocks before I notice a place on the corner called Van Leeuwen ice cream. We both pick a root beer float and take them on a short walk to the nearby park, claiming a bench in front of an empty playground. There are a few joggers circling the track around the park, but no other activity.

“What’s on your mind?” I ask.

Charli looks down at her float, then takes a big sip. “I guess I’m just worried about what we’re doing.”

“How so?”

She spends a while thinking before she answers. I like that about her. She doesn’t always have to fill every moment. She doesn’t start talking until she knows what she wants to say. “You aren’t like any man I’ve dated. Not that we’re dating, but you know what I mean.”

“Which is a good thing…” I prompt.

She grins, but she’s still staring at her treat. “It’s a scary thing. I don’t know what the rules are with a guy like you. The expectations. I mean, is it all just a conquest for you? Get me in bed and then you move on to the next woman? Because I’ve never even had casual sex, so if you’re hoping for that kind of thing with me, it’s just not who I am or what I’m ready for.”

“What? No. It’s not that at all.”

“Or are you just using me because I can help you get back at Vaughn and his dad?”

Maybe.“No. I’ve been open with you from the start, Charli. We both want to get those pricks back. It’s a bonus that I like you. It’s a bonus that your book is great and I want to publish it. It’s a bonus that you like me.”

“I never said I like you.”

I give her plastic cup a little knock with mine. “You don’t have to.”

There’s that blush again. “I don’t want to like anyone right now.”

“What are you worried about?”

“I don’t want to get hurt again.”

“Then I can promise you this much. I would never hurt you.”

Her eyes finally meet mine. She studies me for several long seconds, and I’m struck by an overwhelming urge to kiss her. It’s clearly not the moment, so I take a sip of my drink instead. The sound of my shake slurping up the straw makes her break eye contact and laugh.

Her smile is a thing of beauty. In that moment, I think I could throw everything I’ve worked for away and spend the rest of my life chasing those fucking smiles.

“I believe you,” she says.

“Here’s what I’m thinking,” I say. “Me and you take some time tonight to get to know each other. I know I promised I’d try to seduce you and all that, but my plans have changed. Not because I don’twantthat, but because I only want it when you’re ready. And I can tell you’re not ready. So you can put your guard down.” I hold my palms up. “I’m going to stop trying to sleep with you. At least for tonight.”

“How chivalrous of you.”

“I can be chivalrous if I try. Hell, you could say I’ve been a knight in shining armor for you. You couldn’t figure out how to open a door and I rode in to your rescue.”

“You were the one who told me it was push, not pull?”

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