Read Online The CEO's Little Surprise by Kat Cantrell - Free Book Online Page B

on me? I said I’d pay.”
    The joke didn’t get the smile he’d hoped for. In fact, her expression remained completely blank. “I’m fine.”
    â€œYeah. I can see that.” Taking a chance that she’d welcome the company, he sat on the bench next to her.
    She didn’t move. He’d noticed she did that a lot, holding herself frozen. But this time, he was close enough to see the muscle spasms in her thighs as if she was fighting her body’s natural instincts to flee in some kind of mind-over-matter contest.
    â€œI’m sorry I didn’t play the game fairly,” he said sincerely. And gingerly, in case that wasn’t the reason she was upset. Women and emotions were not his forte and he wouldn’t be surprised to learn this was one of those situations where if he didn’t know why she was upset—she sure wasn’t going to tell him.
    â€œYou did.” She stared straight ahead. “I’m the one who was playing unfairly. You were right, the dare wasn’t valid.”
    Somehow, her admission of guilt managed to sound as if she felt it was anything but her fault. Which was a rare talent.
    â€œOkay. You ready to get out of here, then?” He nodded toward the end of the hallway. “Or do you want to finish dinner?”
    â€œWhat would be the point of finishing dinner?” she asked in a monotone that pricked the hair on the back of his neck.
    This strange mood went well beyond her normal reserve. When he’d labeled her demeanor as brittle earlier, he’d had no clue how much more so she could actually become, as if he had to watch how heavily he breathed for fear of shattering her into a million pieces.
    â€œThe point of dinner is so I can spend time with you,” he said. And...some other agenda items that had somehow slipped his mind in favor of the woman herself.
    That earned him a sidelong glance. “I told you I wasn’t a fun date.”
    â€œI’m having fun,” he told her automatically and then had to clarify. “Well, I was . And then you disappeared.”
    Physically and mentally.
    â€œThat was fun?” She tilted her head toward the dining room, her eyes incredulously wide. “I made you drink wine, which you hate, and then foisted a teenagers’ sleepover game on you. Which part did you find the most entertaining?”
    â€œAll of it.” He grinned in spite of her mood and accepted her scowl with a nod. “You heard me. I have legs and I know how to use them. Trust me, I’ve got no problem walking out of a restaurant in the middle of a date. I don’t waste my time on things that aren’t fun.”
    â€œReally?”
    â€œHonesty. It isn’t just for breakfast anymore.”
    And finally, he scored a small laugh. Why did that make his chest feel so tight and full?
    â€œI guess I’m done with dinner.” She sneaked another glance at him and he pretended not to notice.
    â€œBut not with spending time together?” He resisted the urge to reach out. He wanted to touch her but he couldn’t gauge if her mood had shifted enough to welcome it.
    â€œWell...” She crossed her arms, hiding her hands underneath, as if she’d sensed that he’d been contemplating taking one of them. “We were supposed to be talking about the leak. I think we have to do that together.”
    Which wasn’t an answer at all. “You know dinner wasn’t about the leak. Don’t be dense.”
    â€œI was giving you the benefit of the doubt,” she countered. “I’m well aware that you’re playing all the angles.”
    And that was the opportunity he’d been waiting for. Since her hands were still locked behind the cross of her arms, he opted to slide one chunk of hair from her cheek and lingered at her neck. Touching that beautiful alabaster skin had suddenly grown more important than breathing. So he indulged himself, letting his