Bound Temptations: Stories of Temptation and Submission Read Online Free PDF Page B

continued to eye her
narrowly, like he didn't entirely believe her explanation. But he
did back up, giving her a few more inches. That let her breathe,
which she desperately needed. If she kept smelling him on every
breath, she didn't know what she might do.
    The air between them already
felt a little too warm, a little too heavy.
    But then that shifted,
shattered as he looked away. "I...ah. I'm sorry about your husband.
I didn't realize...well, until tonight."
    "It's okay." She smiled
sadly and reached up, tugging her hat off. "It's been five
years."
    "You look like the wounds
are still fresh. You must have loved him a lot. You still wear his
ring. I didn't notice it before."
    Looking down, she rubbed a
finger over the ring. "The wounds aren't exactly fresh, no. But
yes, I loved him with everything I had in me. As for the ring...I
guess I'm just not ready to let him go yet. I don't always wear it,
but sometimes, yeah."
    "Would he want you to hold
on this way?"
    "No." She tucked a strand of
hair back behind her ear. Sighing, she studied him. "You know, this
isn't exactly something you have any business asking
me."
    "You're right. I just can't
help that I hate seeing you look so sad." He hesitated and then
asked, "Should I apologize?"
    Rocki frowned. "No. I…geez,
you make it too easy to talk to you."
    He did—it was almost
disturbing how easy it felt, talking to him just then. She didn't
even know him. She didn't want to stop talking to him, though.
Still staring at her wedding ring, she said, "Brant wouldn't want
me holding on like this… and I'm not clinging to his memory.
Exactly. It's just…well, I haven't ever met anybody else who got to
me like he did. If I do, I'm not going to walk away from…well.
Whatever could happen. I just haven't…"
    She glanced at him,
intending to look away just as fast. But she found herself caught
in the rich, ripe gold of his eyes.
    His hand came up, cupping
her cheek. "Guess that's one of those time things, isn't
it?"
    His thumb stroked over her
lip. That light touch sent something hot and shivery arrowing
straight down to her core. And her heart—oh, her heart.
    It shuddered in her chest,
shuddered, trembled, and for the briefest moment, she felt it
stop.
    Oh. Oh, no. This was
bad.
    His mouth was just a breath
away from hers and she wanted, desperately, to close the distance
between them, cover his mouth with hers.
    But she didn't. Instead, she
turned her face and said quietly, "Cole...you tempt me. But you're
all wrong for me. The wrong type of guy completely."
    His hand hesitated and then
he backed away. "And what type of guy am I?"
    "The taken type," she said
wryly. "And your fiancée already hates me enough. Let's not make
things any more unpleasant than they already are."
    Edging around him, she slid
out the door.
    Almost showtime. Then she
could go home. Slip into some PJs, get something hard and strong to
drink, and collapse into the bed. At least now she suspected she
might have a pleasant dream tonight, instead of a
nightmare.
     
     
     
    "...may I present the
hostess of tonight's festivities..."
    Cole was edging his way to
the front of the restaurant, determined to get the hell out of
there before he did anything else stupid. Like try to make a move
on Rocki again.
    "...Lush!"
    Automatically, he glanced
back. His eyes widened as he found himself staring at Rocki as she
accepted the hands of two tuxedo-clad men, lifting her onto the
stage.
    "For those who are new to
the event, Lush, also known as Rocki Monroe, designs many of the
pieces sold in Lush & Lace," the petite redhead on the stage
said, smiling as Rocki sauntered toward her. "Lush started out
designing costumes in high school theater and began devoting more
time to design in college. But it wasn't until after her husband's
death that she actively began pursuing this particular dream—it was
a dream only her husband and I knew about."
    Rocki stopped next to the
redhead. The other woman smiled up at her friend. "The