Samhain Publishing Ltd, Ebooks and Books in Print

The sound of approaching footsteps made them spring apart from each other and Scarlett turned to find Trevor standing in front of them, his expression fierce. A little angry, maybe even a little jealous.

Giddy joy bloomed in her stomach, and she frowned. No way should she relish in that expression on his face. It was pointless, foolish.

Too late…

“What’s going on, Trev?” Austin flicked his head at Trevor in that typical way men seemed to do.

“Nothing. What’s going on with you two?” Trevor asked the question slowly.

As if he had to keep himself under some sort of firm control, or else all hell would break loose.

“We were just talking,” Scarlett said, her gaze meeting Trevor’s.

Brilliant gray blue eyes locked on her face, he stared at her as if he could read her thoughts. It was disconcerting yet undeniably arousing, and she shifted her feet, smoothed her sky blue skirt with the palms of her hands.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Austin said, sending Scarlett a meaningful look before he walked away, tipping his head again at Trevor as he passed.

“What do you want?” she asked the second Austin was out of earshot. It sounded rude. She couldn’t help herself, but the second he got too close Trevor made her edgy, nervous.

Turned on. So incredibly turned on, she was tempted to throw herself at him and beg him to give her another one of those life-changing orgasms.

“Nice greeting,” Trevor said, his voice cool as he took a step toward her, then another.

She backed up, not wanting to get too close. Electricity seemed to zing between them, bouncing back and forth from her body to his, and her nipples hardened beneath the thin black tank top she wore.

His gaze dropped to her breasts immediately, and she knew without a doubt he noticed.

Damn him. And damn her nipples, too.

“I’m just…busy. I don’t have much time to talk.” Such a lie. She was about to leave for a quick dinner break before the show started.

“You had enough time for Austin.” Oh yes, Trevor definitely sounded jealous.

“He was giving me advice.” She nibbled on her lower lip, angry at herself for her choice of words. The interest on Trevor’s face was clear.

“About what?”

“Work stuff.” She waved her hand, not wanting to talk about it. She didn’t want to mention what Austin had shared with her. “Nothing major. What’s going on?”

“I wanted to talk to you.” His voice lowered, took on a husky tone that tempted her to shiver.

But she held herself in check. Just barely.

“What about?” Oh, he was coming closer. He took another step, then another, crowding her, and she backed up, bumping against the wall. Trapped with Trevor so close she could smell him, the scent spicy and clean and warm.

Slowly driving her mad.

“I wanted to apologize for the other night.” His gaze wandered over her face, rested on her mouth and her lips tingled. As if he had just touched her there.

She wondered how amazing it would be to actually kiss this man. Feel his mouth pressed to hers, his tongue…

“Apologize for what? The orgasm you gave me?” Ah, here came her smart mouth. She couldn’t keep it in. It was as if he drew it out of her.

He chuckled, the sound warm, inviting, curling through her like elusive wisps of smoke she desperately wanted to capture. “Unless it was awful I won’t apologize for that.”

“It wasn’t awful,” she admitted in a small voice.

“Then I’m not sorry.” He smiled, all dazzling teeth and boy next door gorgeous. “I want to apologize for being such a jerk.”

“Well, I was a jerk, too.” But she refused to say sorry. She couldn’t admit she was sorry.

Stubborn. Old habits died hard.

“So we’re both apologizing then.” He reached out, twirled a wavy strand of her hair around his finger and lightly tugged. “Maybe we could start over.”

She held her breath, her gaze cutting to that finger she could just see in her peripheral vision. He twirled her hair around his finger again and again, slow, rubbing the strand as if he was testing it. “Start over with what? There’s nothing to start over.”

“There’s not?” He twirled another strand, and another. “Your hair is so soft.”

She ignored his comment, ignored the way it made her skin flush and her nipples harden even more. Especially ignored the fact that her panties were damp and her knees weak. “There shouldn’t be.”

“Why not?”

“We won’t be good together.” Lies, all lies. She was the biggest liar in the whole wide world.

“You think?” He leaned in close, his face level with hers, gray eyes seeking the truth. “I think we’d be fantastic together.”

“I bet you say that to all the girls.” She repeated her words from four nights ago, her voice hoarse, her throat dry. Afraid he was saying some sort of rehearsed line he kept in his repertoire and brought out to seduce women.

Trevor shook his head slowly, his gaze again drifting to her mouth. As if he wanted to kiss it, drink from her, taste her over and over again. “Your opinion of me is pretty low, huh?”

“Terribly low,” she confessed, earning another chuckle.

“What can I do to rectify that?” He propped a hand on the wall behind her, his splayed fingers close to her head. His body heat reached, his broad shoulders blocked everything else and all she saw was him. She was surrounded by him. Trevor.

“Leave me alone?” Her tone was hopeful because really, her life would be easier if he did leave her alone.

A little lonely and full of regret but definitely easier.