Dazzled by Silver Read Online Free PDF Page A

relationship, especially one I knew had potential to blossom. I still didn’t want to go through the pain of losing someone again.
    Now, I wondered if my confidence would bloom like Kendra’s if I could just get past losing my first love. And, even if I got over it, would I ever find the kind of connection I’d shared with Kevin?
     

C HAPTER 5
     
    I stood in line, waiting for my morning coffee. Was there any way to weasel out of work today? The urge to see Kendra before the club got too crowded had been provoking my lower half since this morning.
    A week had passed since our night together. Kendra’s naked ass haunted my thoughts. Her rose aroma followed me to work and back to my apartment. The mere thought of her delicate skin connecting with mine moistened my panties. Still, the planted seed in my mind of a possible threesome, made me hornier than ever. She revived a primitive craving inside me. Up until now, I’d made safe choices; ones that wouldn’t backfire. But everything had changed after last night. Was I wrong to feel that way? Shouldn’t I have had more control over my hormones and needs? Seeking any suitable mate, my female radar examined every potential man, but only one face came to mind when I closed my eyes at the end of the day. Gabe’s.
    A fresh brew of hazelnut vanilla trickled into a pot. The door of the coffee shop swung open, and its bell rang in my ears. The loud echo stirred memories of the after party, a MIA hunk and my mission to find the handsome bartender tonight.
    I hadn’t seen Gabe at all. Kendra’s suggestion to make a move on him had me on alert. But how could I ask him to have sex? I hardly knew him. A one-night stand had to sound appealing to a man, didn’t it? And every time I thought of Gabe, Kendra wasn’t far away. The euphoria I carried out from her red room clouded my thinking.
    I still wondered why my friend had been so forward. Kendra wasn’t behaving like herself, as if she wanted to draw attention to her frivolous ways. My dozen messages to her were left unanswered, and I had stopped calling—for now.
    “Are you coming tonight?” a familiar voice whispered in my ear, startling me.
    I whipped around. “Excuse me?” Silver eyes beamed at me.
    My throat tightened.
    The stranger wore a business suit, tailored to fit his body. His musky aftershave overpowered the smell of coffee. The familiar scent Cupid had prepared for this man teased my nose. My knees softened as recognition dawned in seconds—though it felt like minutes. Gabe.
    “It’s Sam, isn’t it?” he asked. “I’m sorry. I don’t think you remember me.”
    “I do. It’s just, you look so different.” I stared at him. Gabe’s outfit wasn’t something I’d have pictured him in. In my mind, he was always behind a bar, in a skin-tight shirt, the gray one he’d worn the night I met him that revealed his beautifully ripped arms.
    “I thought my orgasm would stick with you, but I guess I was wrong.”
    “Shh!” I slouched scanning the coffee shop to see whether anyone heard him.
    “Miss?” the cashier called out. “Your order is ready.”
    “Thank you.” I took out my wallet.
    “It’s on me.” Gabe handed the teen a crisp fifty. “I’ll have the same.”
    Casey had never paid for my coffee.
    “How do you know what I’m having?” I found Gabe even more intriguing today than last week. Had he followed me here? He couldn’t have.
    “I don’t. It won’t kill me, will it?” he asked, one brow arching up.
    “No. Thank you.” I raised my cup.
    “You’re not in a hurry, are you, Sam?” He gestured to a seat.
    “No.” I shook my head, lying through my teeth. Thank goodness my boss out of town. “I have a few minutes before work.”
    “Good.” He pulled out a chair.
    His commanding tone would have me agreeing to anything he asked, even stripping naked in the middle of the coffee shop.
    Taking a deep breath, I sat down. My racing heartbeat had a mind of its own, and no matter how