Good Morning Heartache Read Online Free PDF Page B

wanted. She was pretty sure most of them preferred it that way, too.
    She yawned audibly,
stretching her hands over her head. Her cami rose over her belly button, and
her stomach growled. Breakfast. It was an achievable goal for a day that once
again began with failure.
    When she sat down in the
hotel's restaurant, she considered treating herself to something sweet,
decadent, and bready but ended up ordering fruit and yogurt. Having a huge butt
and love handles would work against her in the pursuit of men. She liked to
work out, but not that much, and if she was honest, she spent more time doing
Kegels than any other exercise.
    She sipped the hot, nearly
black coffee carefully to keep from burning her tongue. Alexis looked across
the busy room and caught the stare of a pair of icy blue eyes she thought she'd
never have to see again. She glared at him and grunted under her breath.
    §
    Ryan closed his menu and met
the gaze of the unhappy woman across the room. He wasn't sure he wanted to talk
to the stranger he spent the evening with, but when he saw her sitting alone at
breakfast, he stood up, and his feet drew him toward her.
    He thought a causal “hello”
would be appropriate. She had been good to him. He hadn’t had any intention of
sleeping with her or anyone at that wedding, but he was glad to end his dry
spell. It's not that he hadn't wanted to have sex. He did. It was just that he
was busy at work, and the women he did meet were looking for something more
than just sex, which was something he couldn’t and wasn’t willing to try to
provide.
     She had been better than
any woman had ever been to him, at least in bed, and for him, because she had
no illusions about where this wasn't going. She deserved at least the basic
pleasantries.
    He didn't expect that he
would sit down in the chair across the table from her, but it was awkward just
standing there in front of her without anything to say. It was all he could
think to do, so he did it.
    Ryan could tell from the
look on her face that she wasn't expecting it either. He knew it wouldn't lead
to anything beyond breakfast. There were a couple of days before Daniel would
be in town, and frankly, a little conversation would be nice before isolating
himself in Small Town, Massachusetts.
    She set her cup down on the
saucer in front of her, and he watched as she licked her lips, trying to catch
any rogue liquid. Oh, the things she could do with those full, pink lips.
    Her face flushed, and she crossed
her arms under her breasts. “What the hell do you think you're doing?” she demanded
in a hushed tone, as if someone might catch them together.
    He wondered for a moment if
she lied last night. Maybe she was married. If that was the case, she deserved
any consequences that came with him sitting across from her, so he simply
replied, “Having breakfast.”
    Ryan waved the waiter over
to the table. The server filled a cup with coffee, and Ryan ordered a full
stack of pancakes, bacon, and two poached eggs. “Charge everything on the table
to room 332,” he finished as the man in the floor length apron turned away.
    Though Ryan spent many
nights in fancy restaurants wearing expensive suits, he just wanted to be
comfortable for one day. To not have to worry about who the guy two tables over
was and what he might think if Ryan grabbed the wrong fork. Luckily no one here
was important enough to impress, so today was going to be that day. He was
obviously underdressed for the restaurant in his khaki cargo shorts and navy
blue polo, but no one actually seemed to care, so he wasn't going to put forth
any further effort.
    Ryan watched as she shifted
in her chair as though she were trying to get comfortable. Her eyes were
focused intently on his face. Ryan couldn't tell if she was nervous, angry, or
a little bit of both.
    “You can't just come in here
and buy me breakfast,” she said with a slight edge to her tone.
    “Apparently I can.” It was
fun to watch her squirm.
    “This