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“I would agree with her on that account, although I like that about you. But the answer is no, I’m not trying to seduce you.” At least not in the flesh, he thought. “I need to finish my research and turn in something to my editor by the end of the week.”
“Yeah, of course,” she sounded disappointed. She marched toward her apartment. “You know I could sue you for libel?”
He followed her, chuckling. “You haven’t even read the article yet.”
She stopped and looked him squarely in the eyes. “Will I want to?”
A thousand thoughts crossed his mind. Everything from how she’d made him question his judgment to the little voice in his head that told him there was a story to tell. Yet none of that mattered, because when he peered into her soulful eyes that begged him to do right by her, this overwhelming desire to protect her consumed him. “Yes,” he found himself promising her, before he could stop himself. And suddenly, the consequences didn’t matter, only the grateful smile she flashed him before she threw her arms around him.
“Thank you.” She squeezed him tight.
Without hesitation he wrapped his arms around her, pressing her sweaty body to his. The touch of her bare skin beneath his hands was more pleasurable than it had been in her dreams. He deeply breathed in the scent of almond and honey from her damp hair. It was more intoxicating than vodka. When she buried her head in his chest, he almost lost all reason. He was seconds away from sweeping her up into his arms and capturing her lips. Beckoning her into the water where they could live out not only her dream but his greatest desire.
Thankfully Sorrel pulled away from him, though with regret in her eyes. “I’m sorry. You told me not to get comfortable with you. It was wrong of me to touch you like that.”
He could hear the internal debate in her voice. The argument raged inside of him too. Still, he knew she’d done the right thing no matter how much he wanted to disagree with her and pull her back into his arms.
She took another step away from him. “I hope you’ll forgive me.”
He clasped his hands behind his back to stop himself from doing something reckless and reaching for her. “There’s no need to apologize.”
Relief washed over her beautiful face. “In that case, would you mind if I made you brunch? I’m particular about what I eat.”
His mouth said, “That would be great.” But his mind yelled, What in the hell have you done? Not only was he going to have to write some feel-good piece, which meant entangling himself further with the adorable creature in front of him, but his boss was going to have his head. He was going to have to think of something to appease him. And what about the book? What would it do?Chapter TenI smoothed out my blouse and took at least twenty deep breaths—in and out—feeling like a naughty schoolgirl who had sneaked a boy up to my room, terrified of getting caught by my mother. I could hear her now. She would say I was inviting trouble, going against the rules set by a book that no longer spoke. But I couldn’t stop thinking about being in Eric’s strong arms and hearing the way his heart thudded against his taut chest. It was like listening to the beat of my favorite song. A song I’d never heard before, yet I recognized its rich melody. I wanted to run out of my bedroom, throw myself in his arms again, and play it on repeat.
Unfortunately, he was a temptation I knew I could never give in to. “Rules are meant to keep you safe,” I could hear my mother say. Even my father had begged me to always follow the rules of the book. However, he had encouraged me to listen to my heart too.
I stared at my nightstand with the hidden drawer that kept my secret. A salvia plant sat on top of it that my mother had given me as an added precaution. Infused with our energy, the plant would make anyone who tried to steal the book fall into a state of deep hallucination, thus forgetting why they were there. I almost laughed at how silly it seemed. Instead I wondered how my father would feel if I told him my heart wanted Eric. I pictured Dad taking my face in his hands and saying, “Sorrel, you must break this curse.” I closed my eyes and sighed. He was right. And I knew what that meant—I would die alone. Besides, Eric obviously wasn’t looking for a relationship with me. He kept warning me to keep my distance. Even so, like an idiot who had no control over herself, I kept throwing myself at him.
