Accidentally Hooked (The Naked Truth Series Book 1) by Carmen Falcone Page A
Authors: Carmen Falcone
Ads: Link
skipping a beat.
He removed her right hand from her pocket, and covered it with his, provoking a sting on her flesh that resounded in her coagulating veins and sent little thrills within her body. Thrills she needed to tame. Asap. “I don’t want to hurt you. And I don’t want you sleeping with me for money when that’s not your thing. Unless…you want to sleep with me. Because you want me. Do you?”
Clumsily, she withdrew her hand from his, and rubbed the back of her neck. Wanting? Wanting wasn’t part of the bargain. Or at least, admitting to it out loud. If she admitted she craved for him, that would open Pandora’s messy box. What future did they have? He would go back to Australia, and she would redeem herself for being a distant sibling and start over with her sister. Her little sister. “No. Thank you for being so…understanding given the situation. Having sex for money isn’t my thing.” Then a thought occurred. Now they were on friendly terms, would he use that against her? Was that his plan? “About the money—”
He gestured with his hand. “I’ll give it to you at the end of my stay as promised. There’s still something I want you to do for me. I’m in town for a wedding… You can be my escort.”
“Escort?” she repeated, cringing at the double entendre. “For a wedding?” She shot him a skeptical glance. “I’m sure you could have invited someone else.”
The sigh he let out sliced the air, and after a quick hesitation, he focused on her eyes. “Having someone like you, who doesn’t have romantic expectations, will put me more at ease, given everything.”
“What is everything?”
“My ex girlfriend Lynn is one of my sister’s maid of honors.”
She squared her shoulders. “So what if she’s one of the maid of honors? Are you still into her?” Why did she care? Okay, so Ryan wasn’t a bad guy. He deserved to be happy. God. Had the past few days really made her that soft?
“No. Right now, I’m into buying you a few dresses for the events. Tonight there is a dinner to welcome all out-of-towners,” he said casually, and pointed at the imposing Gucci window. “Shall we?”
Shall we my ass. She accepted the hand he offered, and the dampness in his palm hinted talking about his past was no easy task. Keep it together, chica. Out of all the things she should do, caring for him wasn’t one of them.
Chapter Nine
Are you still into her? It had been a full day since he heard those words from Kika. Since he’d seen her. Since his lunatic proposal of having her, the doppelganger prostitute, around for Charlotte’s wedding. Taking sex out of the equation would be painful, but not as much as hearing from her she didn’t want it with him anymore. Why did it matter so much? A few more days, and he’d be out of her life. Forever.
A lump of dry sand sat in his throat. At times, the tiny silver flecks around her black eyes shimmered, and he wondered why she had chosen not to sleep with him without getting paid. Was she afraid? Nonsense.
He adjusted the cufflinks of his sleeve and clung to rationality. Hanging out with Kika in a social ambience had to help them talk so he’d find a way to get out of that mess. Seeing through his goal without incriminating Luna’s sister. He knew enough about the operation to tell Charlotte. There was Luna, the real prostitute, and that shady security guy who probably had something to hide. The pimp.
Yet, to accuse Blake without a direct reason involving him didn’t get Ryan anywhere. At best, he would get his sister to look into it, but without critical information, who would pay? The couple of small fish. Luna and Kika.
Kika’d trusted him by admitting her participation. The strained look in her eyes when she’d talked about her sister haunted him every time he closed his own.
He called for the elevator down to the lobby where he’d agreed to meet Kika before the dinner. He’d only exchanged a couple of text messages with Charlotte,
He removed her right hand from her pocket, and covered it with his, provoking a sting on her flesh that resounded in her coagulating veins and sent little thrills within her body. Thrills she needed to tame. Asap. “I don’t want to hurt you. And I don’t want you sleeping with me for money when that’s not your thing. Unless…you want to sleep with me. Because you want me. Do you?”
Clumsily, she withdrew her hand from his, and rubbed the back of her neck. Wanting? Wanting wasn’t part of the bargain. Or at least, admitting to it out loud. If she admitted she craved for him, that would open Pandora’s messy box. What future did they have? He would go back to Australia, and she would redeem herself for being a distant sibling and start over with her sister. Her little sister. “No. Thank you for being so…understanding given the situation. Having sex for money isn’t my thing.” Then a thought occurred. Now they were on friendly terms, would he use that against her? Was that his plan? “About the money—”
He gestured with his hand. “I’ll give it to you at the end of my stay as promised. There’s still something I want you to do for me. I’m in town for a wedding… You can be my escort.”
“Escort?” she repeated, cringing at the double entendre. “For a wedding?” She shot him a skeptical glance. “I’m sure you could have invited someone else.”
The sigh he let out sliced the air, and after a quick hesitation, he focused on her eyes. “Having someone like you, who doesn’t have romantic expectations, will put me more at ease, given everything.”
“What is everything?”
“My ex girlfriend Lynn is one of my sister’s maid of honors.”
She squared her shoulders. “So what if she’s one of the maid of honors? Are you still into her?” Why did she care? Okay, so Ryan wasn’t a bad guy. He deserved to be happy. God. Had the past few days really made her that soft?
“No. Right now, I’m into buying you a few dresses for the events. Tonight there is a dinner to welcome all out-of-towners,” he said casually, and pointed at the imposing Gucci window. “Shall we?”
Shall we my ass. She accepted the hand he offered, and the dampness in his palm hinted talking about his past was no easy task. Keep it together, chica. Out of all the things she should do, caring for him wasn’t one of them.
Chapter Nine
Are you still into her? It had been a full day since he heard those words from Kika. Since he’d seen her. Since his lunatic proposal of having her, the doppelganger prostitute, around for Charlotte’s wedding. Taking sex out of the equation would be painful, but not as much as hearing from her she didn’t want it with him anymore. Why did it matter so much? A few more days, and he’d be out of her life. Forever.
A lump of dry sand sat in his throat. At times, the tiny silver flecks around her black eyes shimmered, and he wondered why she had chosen not to sleep with him without getting paid. Was she afraid? Nonsense.
He adjusted the cufflinks of his sleeve and clung to rationality. Hanging out with Kika in a social ambience had to help them talk so he’d find a way to get out of that mess. Seeing through his goal without incriminating Luna’s sister. He knew enough about the operation to tell Charlotte. There was Luna, the real prostitute, and that shady security guy who probably had something to hide. The pimp.
Yet, to accuse Blake without a direct reason involving him didn’t get Ryan anywhere. At best, he would get his sister to look into it, but without critical information, who would pay? The couple of small fish. Luna and Kika.
Kika’d trusted him by admitting her participation. The strained look in her eyes when she’d talked about her sister haunted him every time he closed his own.
He called for the elevator down to the lobby where he’d agreed to meet Kika before the dinner. He’d only exchanged a couple of text messages with Charlotte,
Similar Books
