Page 7 of Beautiful Distraction

My gaze jumps from the stark white piece of paper to hissmug expression and then back to the check. I thought I was angry before, butit was nothing compared to what I’m feeling now.

The lump sum he’s offering is enough to cover the cost of anew car.

My heart pumps so hard, it might just be about to burst outof my chest…and not in a good way.

I’m humiliated…and furious.

Not because his gesture implies that the accident was allhis fault and he’s basically in my debt. I’m furious because the smugness inhis expression tells me he’s convinced of the exact opposite.

He feels sorry for me, and his generous check is basically ahandout.

A pity check.

The audacity!

Is that the reason why he hit on me in the first place?Because he thought I might be poor and impressed by his flashy car and clothes,and consequently eager to spread my legs for him just because he’sprivileged?

“What do you think? Is this enough?” he prompts impatiently.

Ignoring his questions, I smile sweetly and step closer.

The plan is to look straight into his eyes and tell him wherehe can shove his check. But instead, I find myself having to tilt my head backto look all the way up into a pair of sinfully green eyes the color of deep,dark forests and haunted meadows. Somehow, my frosty stance doesn’t look as confidentand significant as I had planned it to be.

In fact, his height intimidates me and I almost choke on mywords.

“Keep it. I don’t want your money,” I push out throughgritted teeth. “And there’s no way I’d ever sleep with you. Not today. Nottomorrow. Not ever. Got it?”

With shaky fingers, I throw his check at him, careful not totouch him in any way.

His brows rise. Slowly, his smile dies on his lips.

“I’m not demanding that you—”

I’m no longer listening as I turn my back to him and jumpinto my car, then slam the door shut.

I avoid looking at him as I start the engine, but I can feelhis gaze on me, and it’s burning my skin. My insides are on fire, even thoughmy anger seems to have evaporated into the balmy night.

Without looking back, I speed past him. I don’t live in hisworld, so I know I’ll never see him again. But that doesn’t make his eyeseasily forgotten, nor does the knowledge dull the delicious throb between mylegs.

The fact still remains: he was a jerk.

Some arrogant bastard I’ll never see again.

I’d rather eat his check before I accept a handout from astranger with the sick fantasy of settling it in private—in his bed.

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER ONE

Three months later

A bitch of a hurricane is brewing up. It’s been all over thenews for the past few days. I was too wrapped up in my research for my newarticle to watch TV or read the headlines, but Mandy has no excuse for draggingme along on this road trip through Montana with dark clouds gathering above ourheads.

Okay, maybe she has a reason…in the form of two tickets tosee Mile High—the hottest indie band in the world. Too bad the concert’staking place in Montana, which is probably the reason why it isn’t sold out. Imean, would you drive across half the country to see a pretentious bunch ofdelusional idiots dry humping the air and lip synching the life out of someauto tune while believing they’re the incarnation of Mozart?

Yeah, me neither.

But Mandy’s a fan.

---