Giving In: Surrender Trilogy Read Online Free PDF Page B

Jensen asked.
    She glanced up to see his gaze fastened solidly on her mouth. Following the up and down motion of her jaw as she chewed. His eyes glittered predatorily and for a moment she couldn’t swallow.
    Finally forcing down the food, chasing it with wine she couldn’t even taste, she nodded.
    “It’s wonderful,” she said in a husky voice she didn’t recognize.
    God, she was acting like they were out on a date. Making cute and feeling awkward over the sudden absence of conversation.
    “I’m glad it meets with your approval,” he said. “It’s one of my favorite places to eat.”
    She actually did roll her eyes then. “That somehow doesn’t surprise me.”
    He arched one dark eyebrow in question. “Why would you say that?”
    She shrugged. “It suits you. Very . . . masculine. Your kind of crowd.”
    He pinned her with an imperious look. “And what crowd is that?”
    “Powerful,” she said after giving a moment’s contemplation. “Wealthy. When I first walked in I thought, ‘This is a place that caters to rich old farts.’”
    He laughed, startling her with the rich, vibrant sound that rumbled from his throat. She would have never imagined laughter to be beautiful. Laughter was alien to her anyway. But coming from a man who rarely smiled, it sounded almost magical. She wanted to hear it again. Savor the sound for the brief pleasure it gave her.
    “You think me a rich old fart?”
    She grinned then, teeth flashing, and she hoped she didn’t have any food in those teeth. How embarrassing would that be?
    “Definitely not old.”
    “So a rich fart then. I feel so much better,” he said dryly.
    “You have to admit, everything about this place caters to wealth and power.” She gestured to the walls. “How many restaurants do you know of that hang portraits on their walls of older men who look like judges or politicians or bankers or some other guy who founded some corporation and has loads of money?”
    His lips twitched and he took another sip of his wine, licking his upper lip to remove the excess moisture. Her breath hitched and she yanked her gaze away from his mouth.
    “I know nothing about the whims of the proprietor, or whom he wants to cater to. All I know is that they serve a damn fine steak and their service is impeccable. I’m easy that way, though.”
    “You like your creature comforts. Fine food and being waited on hand and foot.”
    She didn’t intend it to be an insult, and she hoped he didn’t take it as such. It was merely an observation spoken aloud, though perhaps it shouldn’t have been. She didn’t want to encourage anything more than a strictly professional relationship with him. She had friends—good friends—and she wasn’t looking to broaden that small, intimate group. But she might have no choice since Jensen would surely be included in more of her friends’ get-togethers.
    He shrugged. “Who doesn’t? Life is short. I choose to enjoy life’s pleasures, even the little ones.”
    She sucked in her breath, pain sharp through her chest. He was certainly right about that. Why couldn’t
she
be as simple as he? She, more than anyone, knew she should move on, quit living in the past, grab onto the
good
in life. Let go of the bad. The bad was behind her, wasn’t it? She’d moved way beyond her past. And yet? She was stuck much like a truck in the mud, buried to the bumpers. Still allowing her past and fears to rule her present.
    Weak. She was weak and she was so damn tired of feeling that way. Acting strong didn’t make her so. It just made her an abrasive, standoffish bitch, and she wasn’t proud of that. Thank God her friends—the people who loved her—accepted her, warts and all. She couldn’t even contemplate her life without them. That unconditional love and support.
    She’d very nearly botched things royally with Joss. She’d said unforgivable things to her sister-in-law. Things that had hurt Joss and had made Kylie feel an inch tall. But Joss was . .