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Authors: Violet Paige
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in a long time. The words came easier than I thought they would.
“I did like what we did this morning,” she whispered. “But I can’t be with a man—even if it’s only a pretend relationship—who thinks I’m only a piece of ass. I can’t do it. Sex is one thing. This—you—it’s something totally different. There’s darkness I can’t handle.”
Damn it. She was making this difficult.
“Bloody hell, Aspen. I don’t think that.” I cupped her chin with my fingers. “If I did, I wouldn’t be sitting in this car right now. I wouldn’t have agreed to go to the hotel. I wouldn’t have handed over my brand to you.” I didn’t expect the confession to pour out. “I trust you. You’re the only one I have left. And you’ve stuck with me even when I’ve been a prat. Sometimes I’m a cock up.” I hung my head.
“You’re just realizing this?” she questioned.
I looked into the shimmer of blues swirling in her eyes. They cut through me like a dagger.
“No. I’m just realizing I care that I’m a cock up.”
She closed her eyes. “How do we do this?”
“Like this.” I pressed my lips to her mouth and kissed her.
“You are fucking sexy and smart.” I grinned. “And I’m an asshole. Can we agree on that?”
She nodded. “Agreed.”
“Will you accept my apology even though it’s not going to be the last time I’m a bloody fool?”
“I’m afraid I’ll regret it,” she whispered.
She wasn’t wrong.
“I’m going to grab my bags. Keep the car running for me? I know how to make it up to you.” I winked.
Things seemed to have calmed down. I wanted to kick myself for jeopardizing it all. Without her, I didn’t have a chance of making it back to England with my contracts. With her, I had everything.
Chapter Sixteen
Aspen
I waited in the car while the driver turned up the radio station. I sat back on the vinyl seat and watched Lachlan turn the corner for the security gate to the Olympic village.
What was I doing? For an instant in the car I thought he had shown his true colors—the mean, doesn’t-give-a-shit, prick everyone had grown to despise. And then suddenly he softened. He kissed me tenderly. He apologized. He agreed with me.
I couldn’t figure him out. Really, I couldn’t figure myself out. Why was I still here? Why did I let him persuade me? Why did one confession turn me into putty? Why did I want him to hop back in this car and kiss me again?
I’d never met a man like Lachlan. He was irresponsible and selfish. He was a walking tornado, only the carnage was usually women’s hearts and not barn doors. I didn’t want to be one of those women. I didn’t want to leave Rio in pieces.
But I couldn’t stop the pull. I couldn’t deny the attraction. I couldn’t say no even when my mind and heart told me he was dangerous.
Because for three weeks, I could be his. For three short, glorious weeks, he wanted me. And no matter what the rationale was for protecting my heart or my spirit, I wanted that. I wanted him.
* * *
L achlan and I walked into the hotel together. I heard the whispers and saw a few phones emerge as we passed by. But this was what we wanted. We needed him to be seen with one woman for the next three weeks.
The buzz would start today. The speculation would be out there, and that was okay. Eventually enough people would see us together. I liked how he held my hand firmly as if he was showing the world I was his.
“Which floor, love?” he asked.
“Seven,” I responded.
I don’t know why I felt so nervous. The time for nerves was last night when I stayed with him in the village. That part should be over, but it wasn’t.
As we approached the doors side by side, I retrieved the key from my bag.
“Here you go.” I handed him the key to his room.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“Your room. We’re next to each other.”
He looked at me with confusion. He had one damn sexy face. It was enough to make me forget how to speak.
“Hmm,” he
“I did like what we did this morning,” she whispered. “But I can’t be with a man—even if it’s only a pretend relationship—who thinks I’m only a piece of ass. I can’t do it. Sex is one thing. This—you—it’s something totally different. There’s darkness I can’t handle.”
Damn it. She was making this difficult.
“Bloody hell, Aspen. I don’t think that.” I cupped her chin with my fingers. “If I did, I wouldn’t be sitting in this car right now. I wouldn’t have agreed to go to the hotel. I wouldn’t have handed over my brand to you.” I didn’t expect the confession to pour out. “I trust you. You’re the only one I have left. And you’ve stuck with me even when I’ve been a prat. Sometimes I’m a cock up.” I hung my head.
“You’re just realizing this?” she questioned.
I looked into the shimmer of blues swirling in her eyes. They cut through me like a dagger.
“No. I’m just realizing I care that I’m a cock up.”
She closed her eyes. “How do we do this?”
“Like this.” I pressed my lips to her mouth and kissed her.
“You are fucking sexy and smart.” I grinned. “And I’m an asshole. Can we agree on that?”
She nodded. “Agreed.”
“Will you accept my apology even though it’s not going to be the last time I’m a bloody fool?”
“I’m afraid I’ll regret it,” she whispered.
She wasn’t wrong.
“I’m going to grab my bags. Keep the car running for me? I know how to make it up to you.” I winked.
Things seemed to have calmed down. I wanted to kick myself for jeopardizing it all. Without her, I didn’t have a chance of making it back to England with my contracts. With her, I had everything.
Chapter Sixteen
Aspen
I waited in the car while the driver turned up the radio station. I sat back on the vinyl seat and watched Lachlan turn the corner for the security gate to the Olympic village.
What was I doing? For an instant in the car I thought he had shown his true colors—the mean, doesn’t-give-a-shit, prick everyone had grown to despise. And then suddenly he softened. He kissed me tenderly. He apologized. He agreed with me.
I couldn’t figure him out. Really, I couldn’t figure myself out. Why was I still here? Why did I let him persuade me? Why did one confession turn me into putty? Why did I want him to hop back in this car and kiss me again?
I’d never met a man like Lachlan. He was irresponsible and selfish. He was a walking tornado, only the carnage was usually women’s hearts and not barn doors. I didn’t want to be one of those women. I didn’t want to leave Rio in pieces.
But I couldn’t stop the pull. I couldn’t deny the attraction. I couldn’t say no even when my mind and heart told me he was dangerous.
Because for three weeks, I could be his. For three short, glorious weeks, he wanted me. And no matter what the rationale was for protecting my heart or my spirit, I wanted that. I wanted him.
* * *
L achlan and I walked into the hotel together. I heard the whispers and saw a few phones emerge as we passed by. But this was what we wanted. We needed him to be seen with one woman for the next three weeks.
The buzz would start today. The speculation would be out there, and that was okay. Eventually enough people would see us together. I liked how he held my hand firmly as if he was showing the world I was his.
“Which floor, love?” he asked.
“Seven,” I responded.
I don’t know why I felt so nervous. The time for nerves was last night when I stayed with him in the village. That part should be over, but it wasn’t.
As we approached the doors side by side, I retrieved the key from my bag.
“Here you go.” I handed him the key to his room.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“Your room. We’re next to each other.”
He looked at me with confusion. He had one damn sexy face. It was enough to make me forget how to speak.
“Hmm,” he
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