Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80214 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80214 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Then his voice sounded behind me. “Catalina.”
I gave a quick jump because I hadn’t even noticed he was there. I turned around and saw a massive man behind me, but I hadn’t heard a single sound as he approached. “Jesus, you scared the shit out of me.”
“You should’ve assumed I would follow you.”
“Well, I chose to assume you could take rejection.” I pulled my keys out of my purse and turned around to head to the door.
He grabbed me by the elbow and steered me back.
I quickly twisted out of his hold. “Don’t touch me again.”
His expression was blank, not apologetic at all. He slid his hand into the front pocket of his jeans, like he was trying to prove he was no threat. “Just give me a chance.”
“I don’t owe you anything, despite what you think.” He’d let me out of that cage, and now I had to kiss the ground he walked on? “Was that why you let me go? Because you wanted to sleep with me?”
He looked down at me because he was so much taller when I wasn’t in heels. “After I dropped you off, I didn’t think about you again. So, no.”
“Then forget about me again. I’ve already forgotten about you.” He was a handsome man with a ripped physique and the prettiest eyes I’d ever seen. Maybe if it were a different scenario, I’d say yes. But the line had been drawn between us, and I was so loyal that I would never betray anyone I cared about.
His gaze was still cold, impossible to read, unlike other men I met. He could be stoic as a statue whenever he felt like it. He was a master at hiding his thoughts, or maybe he just didn’t have them at all.
“I know you probably never get rejected so you don’t know what it feels like, but I’m not interested.” I turned to walk away.
“What makes you think I don’t get rejected?”
I turned back to him. “Come on, you know why.”
He tilted his head slightly. “So, you do think I’m hot.”
I released a loud laugh, brushing off the embarrassment I felt at his observation. “I do not think you’re hot. I understand why other people might think that, but I certainly don’t. I’m not attracted to a man who locks up a woman in a cage.”
He still showed the same bored expression. “Then why did you have dinner with me?”
“Because I was hungry. Obviously.”
“You know that’s not why.” He shook his head slightly. “I can respect your loyalty to your brother, but I don’t appreciate the bald-faced lie you’re telling. You say you’re not attracted to me, but I know that’s bullshit. So, just admit it.”
“It’s not gonna change anything. It’s not gonna change my decision.”
He stared me down like he thought otherwise. “You think I’m sexy.” Victory was in his gaze.
I rolled my eyes then turned back to my car. “Good night, Heath.”
His eyes burned into my back, the heat of his gaze so potent it burned me to the skin. “Because I think you’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen.”
I should just get in the car and drive away, but something made me turn back to him, made me face the man who didn’t deserve any of my attention. “You also said I’m the most annoying woman you’ve ever met.”
“And I stand by that.” His eyes remained hard and hot, but a slight smile moved onto his lips. “You feel that?”
I crossed my arms over my chest in defiance.
He remained on the sidewalk, his hands in his pockets. Tall, muscular, and with a persona so dark, he cast the entire street in shadow. “That chemistry…it’s unbelievable. I bet we fuck just the way we fight.”
I couldn’t believe he’d said that out loud, even though no one was around.
“You need a man who can keep up with you, who’s turned on by your bossiness rather than bothered by it, who likes watching you tell him off because it’s cute to see you try. You flirt with guys at the bar in the hope they’ll be something special. But you aren’t gonna find anything more special than me.”
I almost let his words sink into me, almost let them affect me. His confidence was unparalleled, and that was something I found really attractive in a man. And unlike the others, he didn’t seem intimidated by my bluntness. “I’m not interested in anything serious—with anyone. I’m just looking for a good time.”
“I can give you the best time of your life.”
If we’d met under any other circumstance, I wouldn’t have hesitated. He was hot. He was also smart and quick, confident and sarcastic. But he could be fucking perfect, and it wouldn’t change anything. “The answer is no. It will always be no. No.”
Three
Heath
I sat at the table with a pint of beer in front of me. My men were scattered around the bar at our headquarters, talking quietly to one another while some of the topless servers humored them. It’d been days since Catalina made her feelings for me perfectly clear.