A Moment of Truth: A Complete Bonus Set (A Matter of Trust #1-2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

rolls his eyes.
    I put down my cue as well, and we step over to the nearby wall to finish our beers.
    “Have you recovered from earlier?” Dan asks.
    “I think so. Not sure if I’ll ever step into an elevator again, but yes. And thanks again for chatting with me in there. I really needed that diversion.”
    “Yeah, it was a rather difficult task.” He smiles, but his eyes are on my mouth. My heart jolts.
    “Wow, aren’t you a charmer?” I glance at my watch. “It’s late.”
    He takes my wrist in his hand to confirm the time, and I freeze, staring at his fingers on my skin. “Did they give you a curfew at the old folks’ home or something?” He lets go of my wrist.
    “Maybe. They just want to make sure I don’t get myself in trouble.” Ain’t that the truth!
    With his eyes still fixed on my mouth, he finishes his beer. “Well, I’m not leaving it like this. I want a rematch.”
    “Hmm.” I pretend to think about it. Truthfully, I don’t want the night to be over. I want to stay, but I’m tipsy and flirty and liking this whole thing far too much for my own good. I need to leave before I make a mistake. “Maybe some other time. I’d like to bask in my win for a while.” I smile, hoping I don’t sound as unsure as I feel.
    He seems to give that some thought before he nods. “Are you heading home then?”
    “Yeah, I think it’s time.”
    He shifts. He suddenly seems uneasy, uncomfortable. “Would you like me to walk you there?”
    Yes, I do, but you can’t. “Thank you, but . . . I took a cab here, so I’ll just take one back. It’s no big deal . . . thanks for tonight, Dan. I had a really good time. It was . . . fun,” I say, realizing that’s exactly what it was.
    He nods and takes a moment before he says, “I had fun, too, but I’m not joking, I want a rematch. You cannot be the last to win.”
    I laugh and smile wide. If he only knew how jittery he makes me. I have to go. “Yeah, well, we’ll see about that.” I knock back the last bit of my beer.
    His smile is shy as he rubs the back of his neck. “May I call you sometime?”
    My heart stops and drops straight into my toes. Yes and no, but much more yes than no. “Okay.” Both the surprise and reluctance is clear in my voice. I’d love to see him again, but I know it probably won’t happen; he’s just being nice.
    He takes out his phone and readies it for my number.
    “212-555-2364,” I say slowly as he taps in the digits. Is this really happening?
    He looks up when he’s done and pauses. “Do you want mine?”
    I don’t want to care about this. Caring always ends up hurting, and if I have his number I’ll want to call him, and I won’t set myself up like that. I can’t. “Um . . . why don’t we leave things in your court? You have my number, and if you want to call me, you will.”
    He nods, his eyebrows furrowed.
    We slip on our coats and head out into the crisp night. The sidewalk is empty and oddly quiet for a New York City night.
    He turns to me, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. “All right, so I’ll phone you?”
    And it dawns on me that he’s misinterpreting my reluctance. I reach out and touch his forearm. “If you want to call me, I’d love to talk to you. I had a really good time tonight.”
    He takes my hand from his arm and with a relieved, shy, and oh-so-very-attractive smile, he pulls me a little closer.  “All right then, I will.” He presses his warm lips to my chilly cheek.
    It’s well below freezing, but the heat that radiates from my face could warm a small country. I hail a cab, and we say good-bye.
    Inside the cab, the emotions I’ve so effectively contained burst out—my heart hammers, a wide smile plasters itself across my face, and I giggle as if I’m drunk, but I’m not. Tipsy, yes, but not drunk. The thing is, I can’t recall the last time I felt so light and happy.
    But I’m not a complete fool. Of course I hope Dan will call, but I know the chances are slim. He’s a