Dirty Past Read Online Free PDF

you’d be fuckin’ seduced.”
    “Should I be honored?” she replies in a small but strong voice.
    “That I haven’t seduced you?”
    “Yes.”
    “Maybe. For all I know, you’re the kind of girl who needs to be pinned against a wall and kissed before you realize you’re seduced to fuck.”
    She pauses, or rather, she freezes, her eyes flashing with a hint of that fear I saw last night. “Good luck trying to find out,” she retorts, standing and smoothing her shirt out. Her eyes linger on the floor, then rise to mine. “I can guarantee you won’t, Mr. Burke, so kindly stop assuming you will, because you’ll be sorely disappointed.”

Ella
    His eyes blaze at my words. And I know that, inadvertently, I just challenged him. I also know guys like Tate Burke will take a challenge and follow it through. It’s their fire, and I just handed him the fuel to ignite it.
    “That right, darlin’?” he speaks slowly, each word drawn out into a stomach-fluttering drawl.
    “Our relationship is strictly professional,” I remind him, looping my thumbs through the belt loops on my shorts. “I’d prefer it to stay that way.”
    “We’re gonna be buttin’ heads somethin’ crazy, then.” His eyes are still fully on me, and I swear they’re holding me captive. The power of his stare sends a hard shiver down my spine.
    “The only things we’ll be butting is schedules.” I grab my water bottle and sandwich packet. I need to do something with my hands because they’re trembling, and it’s obvious. At least to me. “Good-bye, Mr. Burke.”
    I take a step forward and he stands, towering over me by several inches. I draw in a sharp breath and keep my eyes down, even though I flinch as my sandwich packet crumbles against me. My muscles are taut, reacting instantly to the shadow settling over me, waiting for a hit.
    “Did you get your card before we left? And phone?”
    My head moves jerkily in something that vaguely resembles a nod.
    “Do they work okay?”
    Again, I nod. This time it’s a little more controlled.
    “Good.”
    He doesn’t move.
    Neither do I.
    I’m still staring at our feet. The toes of his deep blue Chucks are inches away from mine, and I flex my toes in my sandals. My body is screaming and flitting between fight or flight, but my feet are fully in the “flight” camp.
    He still doesn’t move. Why won’t he move?
    I can’t until he does. My body isn’t trained to run, no matter how it wants to.
    Matthew never let me run. And the one time I was stupid enough to, I “accidentally kicked the solid wood table leg to get to the burning stove and broke two toes.” Which, of course, means I was shoved into it and in my fight to regain my footing, slammed into the thick table leg.
    I squeeze my eyes shut tightly at the memory, a shudder racking my body. Fear inches its way from my gut to my heart and clenches it tightly, and at the loud opening of a door, I jolt backward.
    “Ella?” Tate’s voice is quieter this time.
    My breathing is short and harsh, and it aches. Each inhale burns my lungs, and I swallow. “I have some things to do. Excuse me.”
    He steps to the side and I walk around him, trying my hardest not to run. Because I want to. I want to give in to the panic buzzing through my veins and run, run, run.
    “Ella?” Sofie’s soft, caring voice makes me pause. “Are you all right?”
    I nod, looking up to meet her eyes. “I have a bit of a headache. I’m going to find some Tylenol, then do that thing we talked about earlier.”
    Her brow furrows and she frowns at me.
    “You know, the . . . the thing.” I glance at Mila.
    “Oh! Yeah. That thing.” Her forehead smoothes out again, and she smiles. “Oh! Of course. Why don’t you go back to the hotel and take a nap? You might feel better.”
    I glance at Conner. “Is—is that okay?”
    “Sure,” he replies slowly, his eyes uncomfortably intense. “We’re pretty laid-back. If you’re sick, go sleep it off.”
    “Thank