Long Overdue (River Jewel Resort Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

couldn’t summon even an ounce of enthusiasm about the upcoming weekend. Long days of seminars and signings, followed by lonely nights and drinking himself to sleep in his hotel room weren’t exactly the stuff dreams were made of. Not his dreams.
    Being a romance author wasn’t everything it was cracked up to be. Sure, he loved writing the stories and found joy in bringing his characters to life. The hard part was facing the public. Women threw themselves at him because they believed he could rock their world just like he did in the books. Once they met him and spent an evening with him, they learned quickly that fiction was often better than truth. The fact was, he could rarely get it up unless he imagined he was with Olivia and calling out her name while having sex with someone else wasn’t exactly acceptable.
    Once in a while, he’d meet a woman who didn’t care and told him , “I’m just flattered to be with you. ” It was nauseating. He wanted a strong, independent woman, not some stranger begging for his cock just to make themselves feel worthy.
It upset him when women pinned their self-worth on something as trivial as being wanted by a man.
He wrote about self-assured, sexy women and all too often, he met women who just weren’t. It seemed the woman he wanted only existed in his books and in his mind. The real version, his best friend, was untouchable and it was turning him into one of those desperate, needy men he despised. He’d never before understood how a woman could bring a man to his knees.
    Until he’d met Olivia, he laughed at the way the men in his town and in his books made fools of themselves for some hot chick. Now, he was on the edge of becoming one of them and he would gladly do it if he didn’t get all tongue-tied every time he geared himself up to tell Olivia how much he loved her. Loved her? He wa s i n love with her
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. B ut what if she felt the same? What if they gave it a try and it tore their friendship apart? Life wasn’t like a romance novel. Best friends did not automatically make the best lovers and Matt wasn’t exactly a no-strings kind of guy. He wanted it all and he wanted it with her.
    “Holy balls, man!” He banged the steering wheel, frustrated with himself for letting his mind wander, for being so nutless. This wasn’t him. He could have anyone, anytime. The best thing to do would be to go on to Chicago, hook up with the first hot piece he saw, close his eyes and bang her all night long while he thought of Olivia. . He needed to let go and enjoy himself. This constant back-and -forth shit was getting old.
    Chapter Three
    The parking lot was practically empty and it seemed strange since she thought it’d be jam-packed. “I can’t believe no one’s here.”
    She eased her little hatchback into the first empty spot and turned off the engine. “Here goes nothing.”
    The large gold-rimmed doors seemed monstrous, yet they didn’t make a sound when she opened them. Cautiously, she walked into the quiet, empty foyer and incredible beauty surrounded her. The ceiling was a large glass dome and as the sunshine poured through, it sent prisms of light everywhere. Every marble surface glittered with color. In the center of the floor, there was what had to be a ten foot circle with the letters RJR in giant, gold cursive script, right in the center. Olivia let out a slow whistle as she looked around, soaking up every tiny detail of the River Jewel Resort. She knew she must look silly with her mouth hanging open in awe, but thankfully, no one was around.
    Just as she was about to go into a full-on, cheesy spin, she heard, “Hello. Welcome to River Jewel Resort. Can I help you?”
    Olivia practically jumped out of her skin at the sound of the woman’s voice. She turned to see the most incredible, blonde bombshell off to her right, watering tropical plants with a tiny yellow watering can.
    “Hi. I’d like to apply for a job. If you’re hiring, that is.”
    “Ah. I’ll