Read Online Broken Resolutions by Olivia Dade - Free Book Online Page A

he caught her eye and held it.
    He was at her feet. But in that moment, he controlled her.
    “Ready?” she said, her hands trembling.
    He didn’t answer, continuing to stare into her eyes for another long moment. Then he tilted his head forward, just like in the picture, and placed it at the juncture of her thighs. She could feel the dampness of his hot breath seep through the layers of material she wore there. The silk of her dress. The cotton of her panties.
    “Your hands,” he said, his voice muffled.
    “Oh,” she whispered. “I forgot.” Slowly, she took her hands and clasped them around his neck. Pressed him harder against her center.
    She had no idea how long they stayed like that. Seconds. Maybe even minutes.
    A flash suddenly blinded her, and she jumped. Jack raised his head, looking for the source of the interruption.
    “You two were taking forever,” Red Tie said, “so I took the picture for you. Get a move on.”
    Funny , she thought. I was about to tell you to move. In fact, I want everyone to leave the library immediately. Everyone except Jack and me.
    But she held her tongue and checked her watch. Five minutes until midnight. Soon, the gathering would end and the partygoers would go home. Jack would leave too, of course. And there were no guarantees that he’d want to repeat this night. Maybe in the morning he’d regret having hit on the shy librarian. Maybe something about New Year’s Eve had affected him, and he’d never feel quite the same way again.
    The thought caught at her throat and made it hard to breathe.
    “Okay,” she said. “I guess I need to go back to the workroom and get the champagne ready.”
    “Go ahead,” Red Tie said. “I’ll untie him. I want to make sure I get some alcohol in my hands before midnight.”
    She bit her lip, but couldn’t find the words to protest. So she left, Jack’s eyes following her all the way across the library.
     
    Well, Angie clearly bought way too much champagne , Penelope thought as she handed out the glasses.
    “Where did everyone go?” she asked Pretend Pirate Clarence. Looking around, she could only see five people, including her.
    “After taking the photos with me, Courtney left with Yolanda and Tasha. I asked if I could come along, and they said I had to walk my own plank tonight.” Clarence looked vexed. “I found their use of pirate terminology to reject me offensive.”
    “Sorry to hear that,” Penelope managed to say.
    “Most people snuck out to ring in the New Year with a bang, if you know what I mean,” Red Tie said, winking at her. And then he winked again, just in case she’d missed the first time.
    She stared at him, mystified. Why was he winking at her, the woman he’d so summarily rejected earlier in the evening?
    “Some of the others were worried about driving in the snow, especially once all the folks drinking at New Year’s Eve parties left for the night. They wanted to get home before the roads got too messy or too crowded,” Cologne Guy added. “They left while you were taking pictures with Jack.”
    Jack didn’t say a word. He just took a champagne glass from her hand, his fingers brushing hers. The heat radiating from his skin almost made her jump. To her relief, she couldn’t see any rope marks on his wrists. She’d tried to keep the knots loose, but she wasn’t exactly a bondage expert.
    He followed her gaze down to his wrists, and then looked up at her. There was no glint of humor there. No levity. He stood without fidgeting, his eyes darker than she remembered. She could tell from his expression he was remembering their photo together. Just as she was.
    She looked away, trying to distract herself from her fantasies about him on his knees again. This time, without an audience. Without clothes.
    As she flicked a glance around the library, the reason for Red Tie’s off-putting winks finally dawned on her. Four men stood around her in a loose circle. She was Red Tie’s only option for a New