Read Online Prime Target by Marquita Valentine - Free Book Online

be more confident. She’s the one who kept pushing me not to give up on Roman. To go after him, even when he kept throwing roadblocks up. Looking back, I think the only reason I forgave him and tried again is that he would give me glimpses of the real him. A man so considerate and thoughtful that my toes curl just remembering the day I walked in and he’d ever so gruffly pointed out the chair I could sit in.
    “A lady shouldn’t have to stand for hours on end.” Then he strode away, saying nothing more, not even when I waved good-bye an hour later.
    He had merely nodded before turning his attention back to a book, studying the contents with a ferocious scowl.
    Then that one day, when I’d forgotten my coat and found him on the floor, bleeding and helpless…I knew right then, I’d fallen for him. I had it bad and still do.
    As he lay bleeding in my lap while ordering me to check the bullet wounds for an exit hole, I wanted to cry and scream at the unfairness of it all. The thought of Roman dying, of never seeing him again, or hearing his sexy-as-hell accent, made me desperate. It made me lie in order to be able to stay with him in the hospital. Abandoning him wasn’t an option.
    As for tonight… nothing could have prepared me for what happened. For the way he stroked my body, the way he touched, licked, kissed, and took control. I was helpless in his arms, a willing slave to his tongue and fingers.
    And apparently, I’m a jealous witch who jumps to conclusions when I have no right. Roman does have a business to run, and though I can’t imagine rare booksellers get many emergency calls, obviously it does happen.
    But…I wanted him inside of me. I still do.
    I hear the heavy thud of footsteps, and my body begins to tingle in anticipation. He’s coming, and hopefully he will make me come again.
    Oh God. Please don’t let me say that out loud. I already say the dumbest things around him as it is.
    The footsteps grow closer, and then fade. Lifting my head, I lean against the back of the tub and frown. What in the world is he doing out there?
    Roman appears out of thin air, and I stifle a scream. He’s dressed in black from head to toe, the t-shirt fitting him perfectly, while cargo pants showcase his powerful thighs.
    My eyes widen. “Are you going somewhere?”
    “Yes. I’m sorry, but my grandfather is very ill. My uncle called a few minutes ago, right after Victoria.”
    My stomach flips, then sinks to my toes as disappointment and sympathy rise to take its place. “If you’ll give me a minute, I’ll get my robe and walk you to the door to say good night.”
    “That’s not necessary.”
    Something sharp scrapes at my heart. Had he only gone out with me so that I would stop asking? Tears prick at the backs of my eyes, but I hold them at bay. I will not cry. I won’t. Every romantic word he’s ever said to me has all but disappeared from my memory.
    I adore you.
    Yeah, but not enough to stay.
    “Well, thanks for tonight,” I mumble, though I really want to cuss him out for making up a story about his grandfather , of all people.
    Roman sighs, pushing a hand through his short, dark hair. His glittering blue eyes take me in, and I want to hide. There’s something very disconcerting about a man, who is so incredibly gorgeous and sexy that he could have anyone, staring you down. I almost want to check my teeth for food.
    “Everly,” he begins, and I really want to cry now. He so rarely says my name, and now he’s leaving. More likely than not, I’ll never see him again, because there’s no way I’ll ever go back to his shop.
    That asshole . That beautiful, sexy asshole who made me come so hard that I saw stars and screamed his name like it was the second coming. Actually, for me it was the first coming, since Jared sucked as a lover.
    Oh God, I’m totally going to hell for being blasphemous.
    “I want you to come with me.”
    “Huh?”
    “I know this might be a bit out of the ordinary, but my uncle