Page 4 of Need You To Choose Me

Oh, how he does.

My teeth sink into my lower lip.

I should say no. That would be the most logical answer. I wasn’t one for hookups. I was a good girl who followed the rules. I was the type of girl who went on at least three dates before sleeping with a man.

And where did that get you?A little voice at the back of my head challenges.Dating losers who can’t make you come, only to cheat on you and leave you brokenhearted, that’s where.

This man wasn’t a loser. I don’t know how I knew it. I simply did. And I was pretty sure he knew how to treat a woman. There was this air around him. Confidence oozed off of him in waves. Besides, what did I have to lose? I had nobody waiting for me back at home, only memories and those I did not want to face. We were both available and newly single.

One night.

It would be one night where I could forget everything and just be.

Then I can go back to my boring, ordinary life in Bluebonnet Creek.

What would be the harm in that?

“Okay,” I whisper softly, the words barely audible.

Surprise flashes on his face but is quickly replaced by need. “You sure, Blondie?”

There it was. That nickname. I shouldn’t like it. But damn it, I did. There was just something in the way he said it, like a lover’s caress.

I nod softly. “Let’s go.”

He stands still for a second longer as if he’s giving me a chance to change my mind before his hand drops and takes mine, our fingers interlocking. My heartbeat echoes in my eardrums as he leads me out of the bar and into the hallway. The elevator is just about to close when his hand shoots up, and we manage to scramble inside, along with an older couple. My palm grows damp while they eye us with interest.

Do they know? Can they see we’re two strangers who are about to hook up? And if they do, why do I care? I’ll never see them again. Just like I’ll never see this man again after tonight. It didn’t matter.

I look away, my eyes fixing on our reflection in the mirror.

Now that we’re standing under the bright lights, I can finally see him clearly. He looks larger than life, towering over me a good foot, his wide shoulders taking a good portion of the tight space. His warm fingers are still safely clasped around mine. He’s dark to my light. He runs his fingers through his hair, making the thick locks unruly around his head, and his skin has a glow to it of a man who spends time out under the sun. Nothing like my fair skin that burns the moment I step out of my house.

We look good together, more than good really. We look like a couple.

Don’t go there,I remind myself.You’re not a couple. You’re just hooking up; that’s all.

He must feel me watching because his gaze meets mine, and the fire blazing in his irises makes me shudder. It’s like he’sdevouring me with his gaze alone, and suddenly, the elevator seems too small, the air too thick, his hand on mine too hot.

The ride to his floor seems to last forever, but when the bell finally chimes, I barely get to say goodbye before he pulls me out into the hallway and marches toward his room. He presses the card against the lock, and the light barely shines green before I’m ushered into a dark room.

The door falls shut, and he spins us around. All the air is kicked out of my lungs as my back touches the hardwood. Soft light is peeking through the curtain over his shoulder, but then he’s in front of me, and he’s the only thing I can see. The only thing I canfeel.

“You’re so fucking gorgeous, Blondie,” he rasps. Those large palms frame my face, tilting my head back as his thumb skims over my lower lip. “I saw you the moment I stepped into the bar, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of you.”

He leans down, but before he can press his mouth against mine, I turn my head to the side so his lips brush against my cheek, his beard sending shivers as he kisses down the side of my neck and back up. My arms wrap around his neck, fingers sinking into that lush hair to pull him back.

“No kissing on the lips,” I whisper softly as his eyes meet mine. “One night. No names. No kissing.”

My heart is beating so hard it feels like it’ll break out of my chest as I wait for his reaction.

Those were my rules, and if he didn’t want to follow them, well… Tough luck.

Those full lips tempted me so badly, but I knew kissing him would be a mistake. It would feel too personal, and I couldn’t deal with that. I don’t know what it was about this man, but I knew he had the potential to break what little of my heart was left intact, and I couldn’t allow that.

I was broken too many times by too many people. I would not allow another person to once again have this power over me.

And it started today.

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