Take This Man Read Online Free PDF Page A

then agreed. He came around to the passenger side of
the truck, and helped her into the high seat.
    His
hand, warm on her elbow, spread heat throughout her body, spiraling through her
breasts and pulsing between her legs. Elyse sat with her thighs clenched. It
was all too much—his touch, his smell, his presence.
    Get
a grip, girl .
    They
pulled out of the parking space and Adam hesitated, waiting for instructions.
    “We’re
at the Excelsior.” Elyse held her breath, waiting for some smart-ass remark
about staying at the ritziest place in town. But Jason enjoyed his luxury, and
he was footing the bill. No cheap motel near a strip mall for him.
    They
drove in silence. Adam squinted at the road in concentration. After a bit,
Elyse looked down at herself and began to laugh.
    Adam’s
eyebrows rose and he glanced at her in concern. “What is it?”
    “I
was just thinking.” She gestured to her attire, her usual running gear of
shorts and baggy T-shirt. “If I really was going to pick up a trick, I don’t
think I’d have much luck in this get-up. I’d make a pretty low-rent hooker.”
    It
wasn’t even funny, but she was getting punchy. She was overwhelmed by all the
emotions assailing her in so brief a time.
    “You
look good, whatever you wear,” Adam told her, his voice low, his eyes still
focused on the road. “You always have.”
    Her
laughter dried up.
    “You’re
a runner now, huh?” he asked.
    “Yes.
I took it up after I…” She let the sentence trail off. After she left Summit.
Everything seemed to circle back to that night.
    There
was no more talk the rest of the ride. Adam pulled the truck into the hotel’s
drive. The big red four-wheel-drive truck looked out of place among the shiny
high-end SUVs and sedans in the parking lot. The motor idled while Elyse opened
the door and gave Adam a last look. She wanted to say something, something
momentous, like a character in a movie. But of course, her mind went blank.
    “Thanks
for the ride.”
    If
it had been a movie, Adam would have said something, too. Called her name.
Something. Anything. But all he did was nod silently. Elyse climbed down from
the cab and shut the door, heading for the hotel entrance. She didn’t look
back.
    ****
    Adam
stood at the counter in the sandwich shop, waiting for his ham and cheese sub.
He’d been in a daze all morning, absolutely for shit at work, ever since
running into Elyse. The minute he set eyes on her, all the old pain and anger
came roaring back. And then he had to go and be the world’s biggest asshole.
    Shit.
    She
was still with Devereaux. After all this time, why should that burn a hole in
his gut? Christ, he was the one who got them together. He wanted to drive her
away. Mission accomplished. In spades.
    He
never figured she’d take off though, leave town. With Jason.
    What had he expected? That was the problem. He hadn’t been thinking at all.
He’d been reacting—reacting to the churning fear in his gut.
    “I
love you, Adam.”
    He
still remembered the night Elyse said those words—and the panic they stirred in
him.
    “I’m
not going to rush you,” she
had said . “I just want you to know I’m not going anywhere. I know one day
you’re going to tell me you love me, too.”
    But
she was wrong. He never did .
    By
the time he manned up and faced his feelings for her, she was long gone.
    “Here
you are, sir.” The kid behind the counter, who looked about fifteen, rang him
up and handed him the paper-wrapped sub. The “sir” made Adam feel old and even
more morose. He’d been so distracted by his thoughts, he forgot to tell the kid
to put extra hot peppers in the sandwich.
    With
a scowl, he turned and headed toward the door. Before he got there, a hand on
his arm stopped him.
    “Hey,
you.” It was Kim Hansen, his…well…he didn’t know how to define her. They were
friends. They also slept together off and on. Adam shied away from the term “fuck
buddy” because he genuinely liked Kim. But he