Page 16 of Trust

Good Lord, she wasn’t much different. Hadn’t she been doing pretty much the same thing with Zane?

Not liking the voice in her head that answered a quick, hell yeah, she turned back and vowed to get herself under control.

FIVE

The next afternoon, Zane sat in front of the engine that ran the old Ferris wheel and knew that making Olivia’s dream come true wouldn’t be easy. He wiped the sweat off his face, studied the gears, and decided the only answer was to take the whole thing apart and start from scratch.

Hearing the slap of a screen door, he looked up and admired his neighbor’s legs as she headed in his direction. Then immediately told himself a couple of lies about her not being the most irresistible woman he’d ever encountered.

When none of them stuck, he let out a breath and reluctantly accepted there wasn’t a part of her that he didn’t want to run his mouth over or a crevice he didn’t want to explore. Olivia Bennett was nothing less than the Devil’s own candy, and his ability to resist was diminishing with every minute spent in her company.

Was it because she was an open book and let every thought spill from her pretty lips without reservation?

Probably.

He’d long been a fan of people who spoke their truth and couldn’t help but appreciate that if a thought missed her mouth, it made it to her face. The tilt of her lips, the width of her eyes, and the very unladylike snort she let out whenever she disagreed told him everything he needed to know.

The word charming was quickly replacing annoying, and if he weren’t careful, she would have him spun up in her web of magic, and he’d never be free.

Something he couldn’t allow to happen because he wasn’t ready to take a woman like that on. Half-assing it would never be tolerated. Nor would faking it until he made it. She was the real deal, and pretending otherwise would only result in the inevitable knife being plunged into his heart.

“Where’s Asher?” Olivia called out as she got closer. “I made him a sandwich.”

Pulling himself out of his dark thoughts, he cleared his throat. “He had to return to the house for a conference call.”

“That sounds ominous.”

“Not really. He’s just trying to decide his next career move.”

Olivia set down the basket, unzipped her sweatshirt, and tied it around her waist. “Any chance of me hearing why he left JAG?”

“Possible. If you bribe him with food and alcohol, you’ll have a halfway decent chance of getting him to spill.”

Olivia rubbed her hands together. “Thanks for the intel. I’ll be sure to use it for only nefarious purposes.”

“You should have some shame, woman, and pretend to have only honorable intentions.”

“Sorry, no can do.” She closed one eye in a wink and then snorted. “No one would believe me if I tried, so it’s not worth the bother.”

He shook his head as she collapsed near him and watched her pull a towel off the basket's contents. “What have you got there?”

“Lunch.” She pulled out two wet wipes and handed them over. “And what exactly will make you spill your secret desires and dreams? Food, booze, sexual favors? Tell me so I know what kind of strategy I need to craft.”

He blew out a raspberry and wiped his hands. “And what would you do with that kind of info?”

“Nothing too horrible.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Don’t hold back now, woman.”

“I’m not…”

“Your mouth twisting into a smile is not selling your innocence.”

“Fine.” She closed the plastic bag and looked up. “I might use the information when and if I came up with a spell.”

“A what?”

“Nothing.” She dropped her eyes and dug into the basket. “Never mind, forget I ever mentioned it.”

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