Read Online RECKLESS - Part 1 by Alice Ward - Free Book Online Page B

I’d never seen a man naked before. Like I’d never seen lick-able abs and perfectly sculpted biceps. Or a tan line. Or dark hair trailing… oh, dear God, help me.
    “H—h—hi,” I stammered out, having a very difficult time removing my eyes from the knot of his towel to make eye contact with him. “I—um—I needed to come by and—I just wanted to—“
    Everything I tried to say turned into a very inappropriate thought, and I had to start over to keep my mouth from fulfilling its sole purpose: humiliating me at the worst times possible.
    “Are you okay?” he asked, leaning over a bit, his face just close enough now I caught a whiff of his minty breath.
    I couldn’t speak, so I just nodded.
    “Well,” he scratched behind his ear and then glanced into his apartment before looking at me again. “Would you—Do you need to come in for a bit?”
    I wanted to say no. I wanted to just get the apology out and move on with my day. That’s what I’d come for, after all. But since my brain and body had been possessed, I found myself nodding instead.
    He stepped out of the way and let me in. Again, my body and brain called mutiny; my feet moved forward, carrying me through the door without my consent.
    “Would you like to sit down?” he asked, looking a little uncomfortable. Rightly so, I suppose, since he was walking around in nothing more than a towel.
    I didn’t even bother with the nod this time. I just sat down on the couch.
    He studied me for a few moments, looking a little unsure of what to do next, before finally saying. “I’m—uh—I’m going to put some clothes on.”
    Again, I simply nodded.
    Thank the heavens, he came back to the living room fully clothed. It gave my brain just a little space to actually use primary functions, such as speaking.
    “I’m really sorry to barge in on you unannounced like this,” I said as he took a seat at the dining room table.
    He motioned for me to come and join him. “It’s okay. Can I get you some coffee?” he asked as I took a seat in the chair next to him.
    “No, it’s okay,” I said with a quick shake of my head. “I just came to apologize.”
    Now it was Jace’s turn to go brain dead. “Apologize?” he asked, his brow tightly knit as his head jutted back. “What in the world do you have to apologize for, Andrea?”
    “Well, my mouth, for one,” I said, averting my eyes, studying the table beneath my arms for a second. “I shouldn’t have talked to you like that the day we met.”
    He chuckled. The sound forced my eyes back up to his face. “It’s okay. I’m used to it by now. And you already apologized for that.”
    I wasn’t sure what to make of his confession, but continued on anyway. “Then there was my outfit. I don’t normally dress like that. I just—I wanted to pay you back for—I was angry with you.”
    Something flickered across his face, but I couldn’t place it. “You didn’t even know me. How could you possibly be angry with me?”
    “I have this thing against men who treat women like objects. I—I guess I felt like that’s what you were doing that day in the coffee shop,” the words had come out barely a whisper, but I knew he’d heard. “But I was wrong. And I’m sorry.”
    When he didn’t respond, I continued on with my apology. “I’m also sorry you had to bring me home after the concert, sorry I put you out like that. But most of all, I’m sorry for the way Sean behaved the other night. He had no right to act like that, and I’m absolutely mortified he flew off the handle like that at you.”
    Jace sat in a silence for a few moments longer. All the while, my heart pounded away at my rib cage, telling me I’d made a horrible mistake in coming. I should have just left it alone. He probably wouldn’t have given it another thought, and now here I was, bringing it all up again.
    Just when I thought my brain would explode from all the worry and stress, Jace cleared his throat, sitting back in his chair a