Been Loving You Too Long Read Online Free PDF Page B

now?”
    “Not really, but I’m feeling better than I was a few minutes ago.   I almost punched Claude today,” he confessed.  
    A low whistle escaped her.   “I can’t say that I blame you.   Claude can be a bit difficult at times. But, I’ve never known you to lose your temper.   In fact, I wasn’t even sure you had one.”
    “Oh, it runs in the family.”   He never wanted Ophelia to witness his temper.   He worked hard to control it, to keep it in check, but there were times when the sheer level of anger in him left him shaken.  
    Ophelia glanced at him sharply, seemingly startled by the bitterness of his tone.   She seemed to note the tension in him, the tightly clenched jaw, and the strain that was visible around in his eyes.  
    Vincent was struggling—with Thomas, with the business and probably with everything that had happened between them the night before.  
    “But you didn’t,” she protested. “You managed to rein it in, when most people would have probably knocked him flat on his behind.”
    He chuckled again, in spite of himself.   “Do you ever curse, Ophelia?   Do you ever just let loose and stop being the proper lady?”
    “What good would it do? I know Kaitlyn thinks I’m this goody two shoes, but I’m not.   I have fun, I get drunk from time to time, and yes, once in a while, I do curse when I have a reason to.”
    They strolled on together for a few minutes, walking in companionable silence.
    Vincent was surprised that he’d settled so quickly into being at ease with her, and she with him.  
    There was a kind of tension there, an awareness that hadn’t existed before, and the fire simmered below the surface for them both, but he still enjoyed her company.
    The sound of her voice, the way she smiled at the people they passed on the street, her delight in the street performers. Ophelia was uncomplicated, she enjoyed life, and he felt more relaxed simply being around her.  
    Entering Jackson Square, he motioned to a small bench that was empty.   “I’ll get us something to drink.”
    “Thank you.”
    Returning after a few moments with bottled water, he sat down beside her and broached the uncomfortable topic.   “I was out of line last night—I shouldn’t have. God, there’s just no way to say it.”
    “Kissed me?” she clarified.   “Made out with me like we were a couple of horny teenagers?”
    “Yes,” he admitted ruefully.   “I want you to know that I would never take advantage of the fact that you work for the family.   That was an aberration and it won’t be repeated.”
    She rolled her eyes.   “Gee, thanks!”
    “You know I didn’t mean it like that. I told you the truth.   I’d wanted to do that for a long time.   But I’m not the kind of man you’d want to bet on for the long haul.”
    “Don’t.   It’s fine.   I know you’re not the relationship kind, and I know that it would be weird beyond description for us to just have some fling, and then try to act like everything was normal again...I’m not really a fling kind of girl.   But we’re friends, right?   You’ve been walking on eggshells with me for a while.   I knew it, I just didn’t know why.   Besides, I miss that cool older dude, I used to follow around as a kid.”
    “Older dude?   Really?”
    She laughed.   “Older than me anyway. Let’s do something fun.   Since you’re sort of playing hooky, you have to do something you wouldn’t normally do.”
    “Doing things I wouldn’t normally do is why I’m having to give you awkward apologies today.”
    Ignoring that statement, she spied the small tables set up on the perimeter of the square.   “I know!   You should get your palm read!”
    “Why don’t I just give someone fifty dollars and ask them to lie to my face?” he drawled.
    “It’s entertainment!” she protested.   “Don’t be such a stick in the mud.   You need a little fun.”
    He relented. “Fine.   Which one of the many psychics