Read Online In Her Wildest Dreams by Farrah Rochon - Free Book Online Page A

you’re the same old Gavin I used to clown around with, and the next you’re looking at me as if you want to…I don’t know… do something . Something that best friends definitely don’t do.” She looked up at him. “When did things start to change?”
    Shaking his head slightly, Gavin cocked it to the side. “Are you saying you’ve never thought of me in this way, Erica? Never?”
    She didn’t answer, just buried her face in her palms again.
    Gavin reached across the table and tugged at her arm. “Look at me,” he ordered, forcing her to uncover her face. He waited until her eyes met his before speaking.
    “I want you to be one hundred percent honest with me,” Gavin said. “Nearly every day for the past year you’ve come into my shop, always teasing, always flirting. Never once did it cross your mind while we were trading those sexy little comments that this could turn into something real? Has it always been just a game to you?”
    “No,” she said. “It’s not…” She shook her head. “Gavin, I would be lying if I said I never thought about you in that way.”
    Her softly spoken words hit him square in the chest, arresting the air in his lungs. He’d known these feelings weren’t one-sided.
    “So, what’s holding you back?” Gavin asked. “What are you so afraid of?”
    “I…I don’t know.” She ran a shaky hand through her hair.   
    Her obvious turmoil shot a bolt of resentment straight through him. Why did admitting that she felt something other than friendship toward him look as if it was causing her physical pain?
    She trained those pleading eyes on him. “Can we not have this conversation right now?”
    “Then stop bringing it up,” he said. “Don’t talk about how good a catch I am if you’re not willing to get caught.”
    “I know I’m not being fair.” Erica looked out the plate-glass window, to the Mississippi River. “Gavin, I’m sorry. I had no intentions of making you hate me when I came over today.” After a couple of beats of silence, she looked over at him, her brow furrowed with a hint of worry. “Aren’t you going to say that you don’t hate me?”
    Gavin remained quiet for a moment. “I’m still trying to decide.” Then he totally ruined whatever leverage he had by allowing a grin to crease his face.
    Erica’s expression relaxed, gratitude surfacing in her warm brown eyes.
    “Come on,” Gavin said, throwing a napkin over the remnants of their dinner. “Let’s go on our carriage ride.”
     
    ***
     
    They strolled along Decatur Street at the base of the French Quarter. The wind coming off of the river was brisk and further chilled by the water. Gavin felt Erica shiver slightly next to him and pulled her more securely against his side.
    “I’m not sure if this is a good time of year to ride in an open horse-drawn carriage,” she said.
    “Anytime of the year is a good time for a carriage ride. The carriage driver will have a blanket for your legs.”
    “Really?” she asked.
    He looked down at her. “You really haven’t done any of this yourself, have you?”
    “I told you I haven’t. I’ve lived here all my life, and I’m ashamed at how much of this city I take for granted.”
    “This is one of the most romantic places in the world,” Gavin commented.
    “Yeah,” Erica said with a wistful sigh. “Just one more reason why Your Wildest Dreams, the franchise, probably won’t work in other parts of the country.”
    “Oh, they’ll make it work,” Gavin huffed. “The Hawthorn Group would never have approached you if they had not already crunched the numbers and figured out a way to make the business as profitable as possible in every market they plan to bring it to.”
    “I’m sure they’ll try,” she said, “but it won’t be as special in Boise, Idaho.”
    “No, I’d imagine it wouldn’t.” Gavin laughed. “It’s a trade-off, Erica. You have to figure out whether or not you want to compromise. To be honest, I can’t