Page 2 of Undeniable

“Best in New York,” he nods. “Can I get you one? It doesn’t make up for a ruined shirt but,” he trails off and shrugs.

I hesitate for only a moment before I nod my head softly.

“Sure, though I think I am the one who owes you a coffee,” I say with a barely there smile as he opens the door and gestures for me to step inside.

“Maybe, but a gentleman never lets a lady pay.”

“Are you a gentleman?” I ask with a raised brow while he ushers us around the line of waiting people and right up to the front counter.

“Most of the time,” he says with a small smirk, causing my stomach to flip flop before he turns back to face the counter.

A man hustles from the back of the kitchen and quickly pours what looks like a black coffee into a cup for the handsome stranger. When he passes it to the man the barista then turns to me with an almost strained looking smile.

“What would you like?”

I look over at the irritated line of customers whom we so casually cut before I turn back to the two men waiting on my order.

“I will just have what he is having.”

I swear I see the man’s face twitch in what looks like the start of the smile, but it disappears as fast as it came. He nods as the guy behind the counter rushes to get my drink. When I look over at him again, I see those intense silver eyes drilling into me, like he is trying to figure something out. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t say that I am hating having his attention on me.

I take the opportunity to let my eyes wander over him. He is tall, couldn’t tell you how tall, but my head barely reaches his shoulders. Said shoulders, look like those of a linebacker and his trim waist tells me that he is definitely in shape. He has a heavy covering of facial hair, though I wouldn’t exactly call it a beard. It is neat and trimmed and paired with his immaculate black suit, he looks absolutely edible.

He seems incredibly serious. You can tell just by the way he carries himself that he is used to being in charge, in power. He has this air about him that makes you want to follow him, to please him.What the hell?After the life I have lived, I am the last woman to ever concern herself with the thought ofpleasinga man. What is the matter with me?

Soon, a hot cup of coffee is being placed in front of me and the handsome stranger reaches out for it before carefully handing it to me as the barista rushes off to the long line of customers. I smile my appreciation and take a tentative sip. Just as I suspected, black.

“Thank you…” I pause waiting for him to supplement his name.

“Giovanni,” he says with that same twitch of his lips.

“Giovanni,” I repeat. I feel my cheeks heat up from the way his eyes flare as I say his name.

“Anytime…” He trails off with a raised brow.

“Tasha.”

“Tasha,” he muses slowly, letting my name roll off his tongue in the most delicious way.

We walk silently out the door where he steps up to a blacked-out SUV just as a man opens the door for him. Before he enters, he turns to me and carefully tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. My breath hitches as the pad of his thumb scrapes gently across my cheek. Holy shit. How can something so innocent be so intense? My heart is racing so fast that I wouldn’t be surprised if he could hear it practically banging against my chest.

“Well, it was nice to meet you Tasha,” he rumbles lowly.

“Yeah,” I breathe ineloquently.

An amused humph leaves his full lips before he gives me a small smile that can only be described as sinful. Without another word, he slides into the back seat of the SUV and shuts the door. I don’t move a muscle as I continue to stare at the tinted window. I try to look out but I physically can’t. I feel like I am being drawn to him like a moth to a light. It is completely unsettling, but it seems like I have 0 say in this at the moment.

I can’t even see him anymore, but that doesn’t matter. I canfeelhis gaze on me. It is hot, heavy and tears right through me.

The feeling doesn’t go away until the SUV pulls away from the curb and disappears onto the busy street. I take a deep breath before I look down at myself. Great, looks like I am going back to the loft to change before I can go job hunting.

As I trek back to the loft, I can’t get my mind off the pair of silver bullet eyes that seemed to be able to peel back all my defenses with just a glance. It was both exhilarating and petrifying. I have been so focused on surviving for so many years that I never expected to be blindsided by someone like that. One thing is for sure, that man is trouble. A kind of trouble I may not necessarily mind getting into.

Chapter Two

Tasha

Job hunting ends up being a huge waste of time. I drug myself up and down the streets of New York only to be turned away again and again. Apparently, my sporadic employment history is a turn off for pretty much everyone.

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