Falling For Ken (Blueprint to Love Book 2) by Lauren Giordano

was despite her pretending to be unaffected. Stripped of the tough layer of veneer, she was defenseless. "Kendall, you may think I'm a bastard by the time this is over . . . but I will never insult you." The magnitude of what he'd done tightened his chest. "When I say you're beautiful, I mean it."    
    He held the power to destroy her– in more ways than one. Ken wasn't fishing for compliments. She simply wasn't accustomed to hearing them. The bigger question was who had made her feel unattractive– to the point she hid her beauty under such a thorny disguise?
    Harry had stumbled into dangerous territory. Anything he said held the potential to hurt her feelings. Yet, she'd been honest with him. She deserved honesty in return. "I know this isn't an acceptable excuse– and believe me, I'm not trying to make one for myself– but I can't get involved-"
    "Because of Deborah," she interrupted. Kenny had drifted to the doorway, her arms wrapped protectively around her waist.
    Startled, he met her troubled gaze. "How do you know about her?"
    "You talk in your sleep," she said, retreating another step. "The first night– you thought I was her."
    "We're not together anymore." He tugged a hand through his hair, wincing when he felt stitches. Now wasn't the time to discuss his former girlfriend. "Kenny, I shouldn't have kissed you . . . for several reasons. I respect you– and I like you.” Distracted, he avoided the question in her eyes.
    "Traynor, it's okay."
    "I still have a job to do. My job is to protect Specialty– and that might mean-"
    "Putting me out of business."
    Kendall's eyes filled with tears she clearly fought, her expression one of futility. Her sorrow weighted in the pit of his stomach. But he couldn't lie. Her pain would be worse if he tried to soften the blow. Harry sensed she'd sooner lose everything than ask for help.
    "My job," he corrected gently, "is to review your finances from every angle. I'm willing to help you if I can– but if I can't, I'll be forced to withdraw your contract and find someone else to finish the job."
    Suppressing a shiver, she dashed the tears away with her forearm and nodded toward the table. "The files are there."
    He stood awkwardly. "Kenny, I'll consider any feasible course of action that might help your company get back on its feet."
    "I need to get back to the site. Sorry about lunch, but I'm not hungry anymore." She nodded toward the pile of folders, resignation in her eyes. "We'll talk tonight when I get home." 
    Her steps echoed through the foyer as she let herself out. Harry ignored the nearly overwhelming urge to hobble after her– to wipe away her tears and hold her until they both felt better. But he'd given in to two impulses today– and both had ended in disaster. Resolutely, he limped to the far end of the table where his briefcase lay open. His gaze flicked over the haphazard stack of files before he methodically withdrew a legal pad and his calculator from his precisely organized briefcase. Blocking out the image of her tear-drenched eyes, he opened the first folder and went to work.

 
    Chapter 6
     
    Kendall pulled over twice on the drive back to the construction site. First, to find the box of tissues and allow herself the good old-fashioned cry she no longer had the strength to hold back. The second time she stopped her battered pickup, she swallowed several aspirin and searched for sunglasses. The rearview mirror confirmed her red-rimmed eyes. She could count on one hand the number of times she'd cried in the past decade. Today, she'd already bawled twice.
    She was unsure which event upset her more. Acknowledging she was one step closer to losing her business. Or kissing Harrison Traynor. The first was all but inevitable. But the second had been a fantasy come true. Kissing Harry had been like a winning lottery ticket; a perfect hair day; a five pound weight loss and ice cream for dinner all at once. Kissing Harry had been downright incredible.