The Billionaire's Challenging Beauty (Bold, Alaskan Men Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

kind of pain wasn’t something she knew how to handle. 
    Instead of walking back down after him, she plopped onto a fallen tree, the wetness seeping through the denim of her jeans but she felt nothing.  Well, nothing other than the pain of realizing that she’d finally found out what it was like to be held in his arms, discovered that it was the most amazing feeling in the world and… he regretted it. 
    The sharp blade of humiliation stabbed at her, but it was nothing compared to the pain of knowing that he hadn’t enjoyed the experience as much as she had. 
    Lifting her head upwards, as if that could stop the tears from forming, she closed her eyes and tried to figure out how to ease the ache pounding inside her chest. 
    Damn him!  Why had he kissed her like that if he didn’t want her?  Why had he touched her as if there was nothing else he’d rather be doing? 
    She had to get over the man.  She had to push him out of her heart and go on without him.  The man was everything she wanted for her future; strong, intelligent, compassionate, and sexy.  And boy, the man knew how to kiss! 
    It didn’t matter, she told herself silently as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.  He didn’t want her.  That was obvious.  She needed to move on, to find another man to think about, to dream about. 
    She would date someone else.  There were lots of men in Winthrop!  She’d find… Tyla went through the other locals, her mind frantically searching for another guy that might be as interesting as Saeger. 
    There was Knox.  He was tall and good looking. 
    Unfortunately, he was too quiet.  Smoldering, she thought. 
    No, she didn’t want to date a guy who looked like he was contemplating murder at any moment. 
    Tucker was handsome! 
    But no.  She couldn’t really see herself with Tucker.  He was incredibly good looking as well but he just wasn’t….
    Tyla sighed.  He wasn’t Saeger. 
    Standing up, she dusted off her bottom and forced her feet to walk down the mountainside.  She was startled to realize that they’d only gone about ten feet into the woods.  Probably safer, she thought.  Bears and other wild animals were starting to come out of hibernation. They were generally starving around this time of the year and much more dangerous.  Even more so if they had babies.  The moose were actually more vicious than bears and would storm at a person without a second thought. 
    Crazy animals.
    But then, what did that make her?  She had acted on instinct earlier when Saeger had kissed her.  She hadn’t thought about anything other than touching him, feeling him against her body, and kissing him like there was no tomorrow. 
    Sighing, she bowed her head, grabbed her backpack, which she’d dropped right outside the forest, and headed to her apartment.  Once she was safely inside, she walked over to her battered up sofa and sank down onto the cushions.  She didn’t really feel the sofa underneath her, nor did she acknowledge the scruffy feel of the fabric under her cheek when she laid her head down on one of the throw pillows. 
    Closing her eyes, she blocked out the world, not wanting to deal with anything right now. 
    Saeger had said it all.  He was ashamed.  He resented kissing her. 
    Her cell phone rang, but Tyla ignored it, not wanting to talk to anyone at the moment. 
    For a long time, she just laid there, trying to adjust her thinking, to banish Saeger from her thoughts. 
    Unfortunately, it was harder than she would have thought possible.  Getting ready for work that night, she pulled on one of Matt’s old shirts, unconcerned that it was too big for her.  She tied the ends around her waist and rolled up the sleeves, then walked back across the street for her shift.
    That night, she wasn’t aware of the strange looks she received.  She served drinks, took orders, relayed the orders to the kitchen or to Tucker who was working the bar that night, then did it all again for the next