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Mom used to snap pictures of me doing the most ordinary things. Eating ice cream. Watching TV. Looking up at her. The photo albums she lovingly put together have been a blessing these last few months. I have roared with laughter, and sobbed with heartache seeing the wonderful, beautiful childhood she gave me. She was a single mom who worked so hard, and I will never get over losing her.
My camera is full of moments with Brooke, and it seems to have been one non-stop rollercoaster ride. We’ve done so much and have been somewhere every day. At this rate, I’ll need a vacation to recover from this one.
Right now, I’m glad to be away from everyone, including Jett. This corner near the stables, away from everyone, is where I plan to spend the rest of my evening. So much for having fun and mingling.
I snap some more pictures of Brooke so that she’ll have memories to look back on when she’s older. These are things a mother would do, and seeing Jett around his daughter, I’m all too aware that he doesn’t take many pictures and I plan to print a book with photos from the trip for her.
Brooke shouts “Daddy!” and my insides turn to fire. I glance over my shoulder to find him standing a few yards behind me. He doesn’t look happy, though he plasters a smile on his face and waves to Brooke.
Something is bothering him, even though his adoring gaze is fixed on Brooke. He doesn’t even look my way. I wonder if he’s annoyed with me. It can’t be me, because I gave myself to him on a plate last night, and he turned me down.
Maybe his father has done something. Again.
I decide to be the bigger person. After all, I’ll never forget the hungry look on his face when I told him I wasn’t wearing any panties. I’m discovering that it wasn’t a good idea because I feel naked and exposed. I’ve been in a constant state of arousal ever since our interactions went up a notch.
“What’s with the face?” I ask. The question makes his jaw muscles twitch some more.
“Why did you tell me that you're naked under that dress?”
This is an easy one to answer. Something about being aroused, something about the conversations we had, something about the look in his eyes when I wore that red dress for him has turned out my inner vixen. I smile sweetly. “I wanted to mess with your head the way you've messed with mine,” I whisper. We’ve standing close now, almost turned towards each other, and I lower my voice, trying to keep this conversation quiet.
“How’s that?” Jett’s eyes pierce through me.
“I told you how I felt about you. I did what you asked. We were … close last night,” I say, struggling to find the right word. “And then you told me to leave before you did something you regretted. I don’t know what to believe anymore.”
“Believe everything I said to you last night.”
My heart stumbles in my chest, and my knees go weak. “But you told me to—”
“Meet me tonight, when Brooke’s asleep. In the gazebo out back.”
When I don’t respond, he leans in and whispers right into my ear, “I need to see you again.Alone.” His words and his overpowering scent cast their magic spell on me, making my heart flutter.
Is he crazy for saying this to me out here? People might hear. I look around, but it’s just us, with the children in the riding ring. Butstill.I seem to be driving this man crazy, and he can’t contain himself.
It makes me feelso good.I bite my lip again, but standing so close to him makes it difficult to clearly process his words. I try to steady my breath as the knot in my stomach becomes even more tangled.
I quickly pull myself together. He's so slick with the art of persuasion. This man is a salesman. A negotiator. A savvy businessman. I’m a pawn on his chessboard, and if I’m not careful, he’ll convince me that he wants me. He’ll make me do things just because there’s no one else here who has caught his eye.
No girlfriend for release.
I’m just a substitute.
Someone to play with.
“You say all the right things, don't you?” I’m doing my best to stay strong, even though I can’t control my need and desperation for him.
His brows push together. “The right things?”
“Like the things you said to me last night, before you rejected me and sent me away.”
His eyes shut for a few seconds longer than normal, his face twisting as if he's in pain. He leans closer to my ear. “I was trying to do the right thing. Truth is, Cari, I want you so badly, it hurts all over.”
Chills slide over my back and arms. He’s whispering into my ear again, his words an arrow straight to my heart.
“Then don't push me away and make me feel like you don't want me.” Words from my own mouth shock me. A month ago, I would never have believed such words would leave my mouth, especially when talking to my boss. But something has changed. There must be something in the air here.
“Meet me,” he begs.