Back to Life

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An Excerpt From: BACK TO LIFE

Copyright © EMMA HILLMAN, 2011

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

She should have guessed he’d come after her. He’d said he wanted to stop her from making a big mistake, so how had she ended up in his arms instead? He’d kissed her and lust had taken over and… She felt her cheeks redden at the memories.

She frowned at the dishtowel slowly becoming twisted in her hands, hoping he wouldn’t turn around right at that moment. And because karma really was a bitch, he did just that. She sighed when she heard him ask, “Are you okay, Sara?”

“I’m fine.”

“You sure? You look kinda flushed.”

She looked up and stared at him over her kitchen table. He was wearing his usual jeans and chambray shirt, hiking boots topping off his outfit. His hair was windblown, his green eyes sparkling. Why did he have to look so normal?

Couldn’t he see she wanted to talk about what happened? Couldn’t he see she’d changed in the space of a few hours? It was his damn fault too! He’d had sex with her in his truck, in the back of a freaking parking lot, and it’d been amazing. But no, now he had to go and be Mr. Perfect, as always.

She took a deep breath and replied, “I was thinking of what happened last night.” His eyes widened and she nearly smiled in triumph. Ha ha! Take that, Mr Let’s-Forget-About-It.

“I don’t think we should talk about this. It’s best if we—”

She cut him off, “I don’t think so. You can’t just push it under the rug and act as if nothing’s happened. We had sex. Good sex too, for that matter.”

“Let’s not have this conversation,” he said, his voice stern.

She watched him grab his coat and tug it on and she saw red. The damn man thought he could just leave? Well, she wouldn’t accept that. Oh no. He’d made his bed and now he was damn well going to sleep in it! “You started it,” she snapped. She sent the dishtowel flying toward his head, but it merely bounced off his chest.

He didn’t react, simply kept on watching her silently. She grabbed the neck of her top and lowered it. “See this? You gave me this hickey, Jared!” His jaw twitched, but he still didn’t respond. Exasperated beyond belief, she opened her shirt’s buttons and pointed to the top of her breasts, laid bare by her black lace bra. “See that red skin? That’s what your whiskers did to me when you were sucking on my nipple.” He rocked back on his heels at her last word. Good, at least I’m getting through to him…

Of course, she was standing there half-naked and the damn guy still hadn’t moved. “Look at me!” she snapped.

“What do you want, Sara?” he finally said, his eyes now a darker green.

“I want you to acknowledge what happened last night.”

Instead, he said, “You’re not ready for a relationship.”

She gasped. “Who says I want a relationship? I need to start having fun again. You know that. You told me that!”

“I have. I did. I didn’t think you’d go to the nearest bar and proposition the first man you stumbled upon.”

“Oh, for pity’s sake! I’m a grown woman, Jared. You’re not my brother-in-law anymore. If I want to fuck nameless guys, I have the right to! I need a new life, don’t you see?”

“I see perfectly well.” His eyes traced her body, from her polished toes to her barely covered breasts.

She felt herself heat up at the lust suddenly clearly displayed on his face. “Jared?”

“If we do this, baby, it won’t change anything. I don’t mind being your lover so you get this out of your system, but then we’ll go back to normal. All right?”

What was he talking about? Had he really just said he wanted to be her lover?