Conflicting Hearts Read Online Free PDF Page B

haven’t had a good lay in
over five years that probably doesn’t qualify, or maybe it does. My thoughts
are running amuck, and I’d wish he’d say something.
    “So, what do you do for fun?” He breaks the awkward silence.
    “Uh, fun? What do you mean fun?” I sound like I don’t know
the meaning of the word, and I don’t. Think of something , I urge my
blank mind.
    “You know, hobbies. How do you spend your time on weekends?
Things like that.”
    “Oh, catch up with life. Go grocery shopping, to the bank,
get an oil change. I take care of the things I don’t have time to do during
working hours.”
    He shakes his head and sports a half-frown. “No, I mean fun and relaxation, Rachel.”
    Boy, this guy is persistent, but I like the way my name
sounds when he says it. I think for a moment and then answer.
    “There are things I’d like to do, but I don’t because I’m
alone. You know, take a hike down the Columbia Gorge, go camping at the beach,
and travel overseas.” I drop my gaze into my dwindling Coke glass, searching
for the next words. I’m as guilty as him now.
    “I’m careful, though, about doing things by myself as a
single woman, like hiking. It can be dangerous.” I’m feeling like a rascal, so
I look him straight in the eye. “You never know when you’ll run into a serial
killer in the Pacific Northwest.”
    He lowers his head and snorts a laugh. Then Ian’s eyes turn
dark, and he gives me a startling gaze that scares the crap out of me. His
mouth opens, and a sexy drawl leaves his lips, which sends shivers up my spine.
    “That’s probably wise, Miss Hayward, because you never know.”
    His hand reaches across the table. He swallows mine in his
broad palm. It’s warm—very warm. Hot, in fact, like my body from his touch. I
feel my neck burst out in red blotches, and my cheeks flush.
    “Sounds as if you need a strong male to protect you and take
you hiking. Mind if I apply for the job?”
    “Huh?” I blubber, with my eyes bulging out of my head. Is he
asking me out? “Uh, I don’t know what to…what to say,” I stammer.
    “Well, what are you doing this Saturday? How about I pick
you up, and we take a hike.”
    I giggle. “Take a hike. That sounds funny.” Now I am acting
like a total nervous ditz. “Let me think about it.” My eyes are pleading for
him to back off. “It’s only Monday, and you never know what the week will
bring.”
    “Okay, I’ll let you think about it. If you say no, I reserve
the right to ask again.”
    “Or what, you’ll hire a personal injury attorney? That was
extremely funny, by the way.”
    “Well, Rachel, being turned down by a beautiful girl like
yourself could cause any man personal injury, I would think.”
    He speaks the words with such heartfelt earnestness, I
actually feel flattered. Once again, I’m back to the thought that he wants to
get in my pants. Compliments are an excellent way to get in there, and maybe he
senses my vulnerabilities.
    “You’re embarrassing me,” I whisper and lower my head to the
table.
    “You should learn to take a compliment, Rachel. I tell it
like I see it.”
    I shove the straw in my mouth and suck, but the bottom of
the glass just gives that empty slurp sound.
    “Want another?” He waves the waitress over to our table.
    “Better not. I think I should be going home.” I can’t drink
another if he’s driving, or I’ll need to stop and pee somewhere between
downtown and home.
    “So soon?”
    A flash of disappointment spreads across his face. He wants
me to stay. I want to stay. My fears tell me to go.
    “Yes, my cat…he’s probably hungry.”
    “Okay, then. You’re still going to let me drive you home,
right?”
    “Sure.”
    “Beginning to trust me?” He sounds anxious for me to do just
that.
    His hand squeezes mine. I had forgotten he was still holding
it. For some odd reason, it felt as if we blended together as one. I’m
disappointed when he pulls away and goes fishing for his wallet to