Seduced by Stratton (The English Brothers Book 4) by Katy Regnery Page B

tricky, and why he felt like such an asshole as he stood outside the studio door on the sidewalk as Sunday shoppers bustled by.
    When she’d asked if she could study at his apartment?
    If he took his attraction to her out of the equation, the answer should have been yes.
    Barrett was his brother, and if his brother was encroaching on Val’s comfort and well-being and Stratton could help fix that, it was his responsibility to try. He was disappointed in himself for letting his feelings get in the way of right and wrong, and immediately determined he needed to make it up to her.
    Sighting ornate cupcakes covered with lavender and pink sugar roses in the bakery window under the studio, he got an idea. Slipping into the bakery, he purchased one, then stepped back outside just as Valeria exited the studio.
    With her head down, she plowed into him, and he reached for her elbow with his free hand to steady her.
    “Oh! I’m sorry, I—”
    Her voice trailed off as she looked up at Stratton.
    Red eyes and cheeks made his heart squeeze with regret. He’d made her cry. God damn it, how did he end up hurting this woman every time he turned around?
    “Val,” he said softly, offering a sorry smile.
    The back of one pink mitten swiped at her eyes as she wrenched her arm away from him. Her voice was hurt and angry when she said, “Excuse me. I’m headed to the library.” Then she turned away from him and started walking away.
    “Wait!”
    She turned around, putting her hands on her hips.
    “For what?” she snapped.
    He held out the little white bakery box. “Peace offering.”
    Her face was suspicious as she eyed the box before taking a tentative step forward. “What is it?”
    “You’ll have to open it to see . . . but, it’s coming home with me first.”
    She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and looking furious. “Then how exactly am I supposed to open it? Because we both know I’m not welcome.”
    He winced. “You are. You are welcome. I’m an ass. Again.”
    “Yes,” she agreed, her face softening a little. “You are. Again.”
    “I shouldn’t have said no. I’m . . .” He was a mess. Confused. Longing. Wanting to do the right thing. Wanting to follow his heart. Being pulled in two separate directions. “I’m so out of my depth, Val.”
    Her shoulders relaxed, and she uncrossed her arms as she took another step closer. “Is it a cupcake?”
    “Would that be your first choice?”
    She nodded, and he couldn’t help grinning at her.
    “One of the pink and lavender flowered ones?” she asked, her lips tilting up just a fraction.
    “I can’t tell you.” His grin widened a little more. “But you can have it once we’re at my place.”
    “Okay,” she said softly, still standing several paces back from him, and eyeing him cautiously.
    ***
    He quickly hailed a cab and gave the driver his address. Once seated, Valeria looked out the window, trying to figure out what had just happened.
    When he left the studio so abruptly, her eyes had welled, and she hadn’t been able to keep the tears at bay as she finished tidying up. She liked Stratton so much, she saw such potential in him, but he’d effectively ended their four-day flirtation, turning his back on her and coldly dismissing her pathetic last-ditch attempt to spend time with him. It was humiliating, of course, but her tears weren’t about embarrassment, they were about loss.
    Her feelings for him had grown by leaps and bounds over the last few days, and she didn’t want for today to be the end. But it was. The end.
    She’d shut off the lights, put on her parka, and pulled her heavy messenger bag across her chest as she trudged down the stairs feeling sorry for herself. There was a library about twenty minutes away near the Liberty Bell, and she could study there until it closed at five o’clock and then maybe she could find a coffee shop. She considered calling her sister, Angie, who might be waitressing tonight, to ask if she could use her