Read Online Perfectly Broken by Emily Jane Trent - Free Book Online Page A

swiftly just as he rounded the
corner. And she had shimmery reddish-blond hair.
    Had he thought of her so much that he was
conjuring her up? Was he really losing his mind over a petite
red-headed woman? Maybe so. But his pulse raced, and his quick
reaction time kicked in. Tomas bolted for the front door.
    There she was, just down the walkway in the
semi-darkness. The outside lights of the building cast an amber
glow, making her look more like a ghost than ever. Tomas froze,
unsure what was happening, or how to react. Then he came to life,
and determination surged.
    “Susanna!” He shouted loud enough for the whole
block to hear.
    She stopped, but didn’t turn around.
    Tomas jogged over, and stepped in front of her
to block her path. He looked into her big blue eyes, and his heart
skipped a beat.
    “What are you doing here?”
    The silence was aggravating.
    This time she wore a row of tiny silver rings
along the curve of her left ear, and her lovely eyes were rimmed
with the thick black makeup like before. Her dark wool coat was
buttoned tight, and her collar was turned up, with her long hair
flowing over her shoulders. Tomas couldn’t help imagining how she
looked under the thick coat.
    He frowned. “You thought you’d do your
disappearing act again?”
    She bit her lower lip. “I didn’t expect to see
you.”
    He stared at her. “Clearly.”
    “I’m sorry, Tomas. I have to go.”
    He drank in her beauty in the fraction of a
second before he spoke. “No.”
    She raised her brows.
    “If you think I’m letting you walk away before
getting some answers, think again.”
    She lifted her chin. “You can’t boss me around.
We met once, all right? Leave it.”
    “I think met is understating it.”
Reflection on what they had shared made his loins ache.
    Susanna shook her head. “Please, let me
pass.”
    Tomas hesitated.
    “Let’s start over,” he said. “I didn’t mean to
scare you. I’m not challenging you. I just…like you. And I’d like
to get to know you.”
    She made no move to leave.
    “So, will you have dinner with me?”
    Tomas fully expected her to refuse, and to flee
from him. Already he had learned to expect it. So he was shocked
when she smiled and said, “Okay.”
    “Okay?” He shouldn’t have questioned her
response. It was what he wanted. But she didn’t make any sense,
leaving him unable to predict what she would do.
    “Okay, I’ll have dinner with you.”
    Tomas grinned and offered his arm.
    She placed her arm in his. “But just
dinner.”
    “Just dinner,” he said.
    *****
    He took her to a restaurant that served Spanish
cuisine. It could have been anything. Susanna was so flustered
being with him again that she didn’t even notice the name of the
place. She figured it was his choice because it was the closest
establishment, and he wanted to make sure she didn’t back out of
the dinner deal.
    Against her better judgment, she had agreed to
have dinner with Tomas. It could only lead to disaster, but Susanna
had been unable to say no. The truth was that she wanted to be with
him. She had wanted to see him again, but hadn’t thought she
would.
    Now, here she was holding his arm. How could she
refuse him when he looked so impossibly handsome? Tomas wore a
brushed suede jacket, showing his broad shoulders to best
advantage. His brown hair was messy and touchable. And his goatee
was neatly trimmed. She remembered how it felt to finger it.
    “This okay?” He waited just inside before
stepping up to the greeter to ask for a table.
    “Fine.”
    They were seated at a small table along a
wood-paneled wall, painted red. It was beside the window, and there
was a tiny vase with three yellow flowers to one side. The table
was dark wood. It seemed romantic, though anywhere with Tomas
probably would have been.
    He scanned the wine list. “Is Albariño okay? Or
do you prefer Chardonnay?”
    He had remembered what she drank. “Albariño is
fine. This is a Spanish restaurant, so I’ll try