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Dammit. Fine. I’ll fix it.
He raced after her, his footfall loud enough on the gravel that she spun around, and her amber gaze caught his.
“Wait. I ruined your night.” He paused, still not totally sure why it mattered to him that her mood lifted. “You don’t have to leave.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. My night was ruined before I met you.” She jangled her keys in his face and stepped back, continuing on her way in a swirl of turquoise material. “I’m going home to kick myself over ever coming here.”
Even as she walked away, or maybe because she walked away, a vise wrapped around his heart, deepening his struggle to let her go.
Her night was ruined and so was his mission. As much as he could try to salvage things with work, he didn’t truly want to. So maybe tonight’s failure didn’t have to be a total loss. Maybe he could turn this around.
There are worse ways to ruin my life.
“Take me with you.” His muscles sagged as the words escaped his mouth, surprising even him.
Somehow this woman made his body work separate from his brain, but then, did he always have to be in complete control?
She turned, her sandy brows knitting together, and she gawped at him for the longest time. “You’re not serious.”
She tilted her head sideways, giving him an off-center stare, suggesting she maybe saw that he was serious.
That seriousness should have bugged him, but didn’t. If she said yes, if she took him with her, he’d ditch tonight’s mission and break with the syndicate altogether. Let this woman decide his fate. A rushed escape, sure. And even if he didn’t plan to stick with this woman in any long-term way, she would provide his initial excuse to leave. His shot of courage.
The syndicate had always been a soulless endeavor, not much more than an illegal means of making rich men richer. This one poor life decision had been allowed to linger for far too long.
Or maybe I was just too chickenshit to leave…
He strolled over to her and tilted her chin up, a little lost on why this stunning woman had been absurd enough to ever look his way. Still, her motivations for looking weren’t his concern. All he cared about was how he wanted this woman like he wanted his next breath. “We’re both not having any fun here, but maybe our night doesn’t have to end so badly after all.”
“You really think I’m about to let you, a total stranger, into my car?” The skin at her eyes constricted into a scowl.
He did his best to hide any hurt at her rebuff. “You already let me kiss you.”
She scoffed. “Yeah, and that turned out just great.”
Despite her words, she didn’t move. She merely blinked up at him as if a small part of her wanted him to convince her.
He pressed his palm to her face and used his touch to give her a moment to warm to his proposal of a second chance. Heaven knew and he knew, like most things in life, she was too good for him. So maybe he was being an unfettered jerk, but just once, he wanted to steal one of those good things. Even if just for one night.
“That kiss was great.” Color spread over her cheeks, and he stroked his thumb over her soft skin, a silent prayer playing through his mind that she’d come around. But prayers aside, he wouldn’t leave her decision to fate alone, so he dropped a feather-light kiss to her lips, a reminder of what they’d already shared. His promise of what would come if she agreed. “My leaving had nothing to do with my interest in you, Sarah.”
Her eyes drifted shut, as though the sound of her name got to her. “And I’m supposed to just drive us back to my place so we can… so we can…”
A breath fell from her, and she flung her eyes open, failing to finish the sentence.
“Yes.” His answer came on a husky tone, and he leaned in, kissing the corner of her mouth, that kiss stealing his ability to determine who did the seducing here.
Despite her tough act, her gaze softened. “Who are you?”
The vise around his heart tightened again, her doubt feeding his desperation. “I told you.”
“No.” She shook her head. “You told me your name, but I don’t know who you are. How can I trust you? This”—she pulled back a little, only to stop like she had second thoughts—“this is a terrible idea.”
“No one in Harlow knows me, and I leave town tomorrow.” He pulled her closer, and she let him. His heartbeat soared, this woman a rare and spirited find. “We want each other. I’m not about to rat you out to your neighbors. I won’t ask anything beyond tonight. That makes this plan perfect.”
Her cheeks went a shade darker, while her gaze darted over his face. Her generally stiff stance seemed less about fear and more about being all too used to holding herself accountable.
“I’d wager most single women around here don’t get many chances to break away from maintaining their squeaky-clean image.” He leaned in farther, set on assuring her there’d be no consequences. “What have you got to lose, Sarah?”
He dropped a final kiss to her lips, vowing he would abandon his need to convince her from here on out. Yes, he wanted her, but he’d already put forth his case and wouldn’t bully her into a decision.
Her direct stare held him a beat longer before she blinked away her hyperfocus and lifted her hand, splaying her fingers over his chest in a demand for his full attention. “Get in the car.”
