She gave every indication of being desperate to get away—behavior that would have set any suspicious man’s internal radar shrieking. But this time she wasn’t escaping.
He tamped down the urge to take her elbow as they walked from the diner, and instead followed at a distance, not wanting to exacerbate the tension sparking in the air between them.
She looked different today. Hotter. Tight jeans. Goth T-shirt. Red lipstick. He tried not to check out her ass, but it was darned near impossible to resist.
Her hair bounced when she swung around. “Are you following me everywhere?”
“No, we’re going somewhere to talk.”
It was difficult not to be distracted by the challenge flashing in her eyes. She stopped on the sidewalk, hands on hips, chin tilted up as their gazes locked. “I don’t want to talk to you.”
What the hell is her problem? He’d given her no reason to behave as she was—as though he was dirt under her shoe she was determined to wipe off at her earliest convenience.
He took her elbow. “Five minutes. In my car.” He jerked his head to the car nearby.
“I’m in a relationship.”
The way she said it: defensive and dismissive, as though he was chasing her and his attention was unwanted, made him bristle. “I’m not trying to date you.”
Her eyebrows rose.
“Or screw you either, for that matter.” Although now the thought was in his mind, he couldn’t help but imagine stroking his hands over her soft skin, tasting her mouth to see if that magical night they shared had been a one-off—or if he was looking back with rose-tinted goggles at remembered perfection.
Her gaze dipped to his mouth. Heat blazed through him, for she was feeling it too. Thinking the same thoughts he was, feeling the same pull.
Her teeth gritted. “Five minutes.”
He took her elbow and walked her to his car. Opened the door for her, then walked around the car to the driver’s seat.
Once safe from prying eyes, he turned to her. “You’re not in a relationship.” God knows how he knew, but the look she flashed him revealed the truth.
“No. I’m not.”
“So why lie?”
“I don’t want to get involved with you.” She crossed her arms. “You and I had our fun, and it was a long time ago. I don’t have any plan to repeat my mistakes.”
“It wasn’t a mistake.” He reached over and touched her cheek.
Tabitha loves the freedom of writing hot stories, without scandalizing her family. She also writes contemporary romance under another name. She loves reading a wide variety of authors: Her favorites include Lee Child, Zara Cox, Kitty French and Tess Gerritsen. The Fiance Trap is the first book in her Honeytrap Inc. series, which are all standalone hot romances featuring operatives working for a Seattle-based Honeytrapping Agency. There are two more books in the series planned – and you don’t have to read them in order.
