The Arrangement: The Seduction (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read Online Free PDF

eat in silence and I don’t look up.
    “Sorry,” he mutters.
    The one word takes me off guard. “What?”
    “I realized you were on the phone with another guy and I acted like an ass.”
    “Oh.” He was jealous?
    My shoulders slump in relief. Stupid me, but his apology goes a long way toward repairing the damage. “Sean’s my neighbor. We go way back. I used to have a crush on him when I was a younger,” I admit with a lot of embarrassment, “but he was too old for me then and only ever thought of me like a sister. Now he’s like a brother to me. And I called him because I knew he’d help me without telling my parents anything.” At the thought of my parents finding out about me being attacked or having my tires slashed, I stab at my eggs.
    “They’re already dead, Princess,” Zach says, his mood suddenly lighter.
    “Yeah.” I laugh. “Can I ask you something?”
    “As long as you’re still talking to me, you can do anything you want.” His heated eyes are back, but he visibly braces for my question.
    I have two, actually. “Well, first, did you fix my tires?”
    “Of course.” He says like it was an expected occurrence.
    Which brings me to my second question. “ Why ?”
    “Because they needed repair if you were going to be able to drive it again.”
    “No, why bother? With the tires, with me? Why the sudden interest?” I ask the question again.
    “You really don’t know?” Zach asks, bringing me back to my original question. Why is he so interested in me?
    I shake my head.
    “From the minute I saw you, you affected me. In here.” He points to his chest. “Inside. You’re fucking gorgeous, for one thing, you have a smile for everyone no matter how tired you are when you work, and I wanted to get to know you better.”
    “But you stayed away.”
    “Because you deserve better than me,” he says, his tone deadly serious. “I’m not a nice guy.”
    “You could have fooled me.”
    “You bring out the best in me.” He grins, but I sense a glimmer of truth in his words.
    Zach Anders is not what he seems. On the outside, he’s a big, hulking hot guy. When he wants to be nice and take care of me, he’s shown me in less than twenty-four hours, he can. And will. But I saw the dark side of him unleashed last night. There were other ways to have handled my attacker, but once Zach had gotten started, a switch had flipped, and there’d been no turning it off.
    I glance at his hand for the first time. His knuckles are red, bruised, and raw. A reminder of the darkness I’d been pretending didn’t exist.
    I glance at him and see he’s waiting for a reply. I don’t have one ready. “What do I owe you for the tires?” I ask instead.
    Because if I know one thing, it’s that my car’s tires are expensive. I can’t cover them with what I earn in a week at The Tavern. Which means I’m back to asking Sean for a favor — this time, money. Clearly, keeping the car wasn’t such a bright idea. If I wanted independence, I was going to have to get rid of the luxuries my parents still provided.
    “You don’t owe me a thing. I wanted to help and I did.”
    I run my tongue along my lips. A mistake, I realize immediately, as Zach’s gaze zeroes in on the action.
    “I’ll pay you back,” I say.
    His eyes narrow. “You can try.”
    I’m not in the mood for an argument. These last few minutes, added to last night’s events, drained me. I wipe my mouth with the napkin. “I think I’ll take that ride to my car.” I want to go home and catch a nap in my own bed, assuming the roommate from hell isn’t around. Then I’ll head to the library.
    “Sure thing.” He signals for a check.
    I try to pay, and he shuts me down flat. “What kind of guy lets a woman he invites to breakfast pay her own way?”
    “Thank you.” Even as I speak, I wonder. Is he being nice because he genuinely likes me and wants to get to know me better? Or does he want something more? Clearly, he wants me. He wants sex.