Texas Gold Read Online Free PDF Page B

 
    She could smell one as he stood beside her, his hand running up and down her back and causing all sorts of sexy   mental images in most of which he starred.  
    He, on the other hand, seemed completely unaffected. Probably because he was. After all, he was the multimillionaire developer. She was the coach with no boyfriends ever in her life except the two who married her friends and one major mistake in college.
    Supermodels probably threw themselves at him. The only reason he wanted her was because she was the unattainable. The enemy.  
    He grabbed her arm and pulled her deeper into the room.
    “Come on. The bath’s the best part.”
    Reluctantly, she followed him again. He was right. A sunken tub, double shower, and walk-in closet. Lots of marble with gold accents. Pretty much a woman’s dream.
    “It’s beautiful.”
    He smiled like a proud parent, and she felt her heart sink.  
    “You can see why people would want this. And you can’t even see the view. That’s the best part.”
    He was right, of course.
    She was sunk before she even got started. He was going to ruin her hometown.
    Dejection set in as his fingers brushed over her down turned lips sending waves of heat to every part of her body.
    “Don’t frown. Didn’t you learn frowning causes wrinkles?”
    She thought about telling him her life had pretty much been consumed with sports, but he didn’t give her a chance. Stepping closer to her, he pushed her up to the vanity and pressed against her as he slowly dropped his head.  
    The vanity lights gave her a weird sense of being on stage. The citrussy scent of soap filled the air and the hum of the air conditioner practically roared in her ears.
    As his lips brushed her neck, she closed her eyes, willing this moment to last a lifetime because she couldn’t go on another.
    With her eyes still closed, she shoved him away.  
    “I can’t do this.” She opened her eyes, took a deep breath and met his eyes again. “I just can’t. Not even to protect my father’s job.”
    He didn’t fight her. Just stepped away as if he felt that kind of magic every single day of his life.
    “This isn’t just about your father’s job.”
    She shook her head, reusing the acknowledge that fact. ”That’s the only reason I’m here.”
    He laughed. “You can tell yourself that.”
    “Because it’s the truth.” She repeated those words silently. Refused to let any other reason make its way into her brain, no matter how hard her heart was beating, no matter how tingly her lips felt. This man was the enemy.  
    Finally he stepped back, looking every bit as disappointed as she suddenly felt as the cool air invaded the space he’d been. “I suppose it is.”
    She nodded and turned her back, walked past the office and to the front door with its stained glass window.  
    Turning back to face him, she wanted to make sure he understood what her leaving meant. “I’m not conceding here. I’ll fight you with every breath I have.”
    He smiled and she wondered what that smile meant. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
    She knew his words were the truth. He loved an adversary. She gave him a focus.  
    She was working up a good bit of anger at his underhanded ruse of telling her they’d go back to his office by the time she got to her car. No good, dirty, rotten scum of a man. Just like him to stop mid-kiss and just stand there smiling like it was no big deal. Well, dammit, it was a big deal. The earth had moved.
    She opened her car door ready to flip him the bird when he called out after her.
    “Hey Mallory.”
    She thought about ignoring him, but that would just show him how upset she was. “What?”
    He was silhouetted by the house lights behind him, and even this far away, she could feel his pull. “Nothing’s changed. The proposition’s still on the table. This is just the first meeting.”
    Tonight she’d proven she could handle him. If he was going to throw out challenges, she’d fling back a few