Irresistible Force by D. D. Ayres

Author:D. D. Ayres [Ayres, D. D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Suspense
ISBN: 9781466839830
Google: Qe5uAwAAQBAJ
Amazon: B00IHCFB8E
Publisher: Macmillan
Published: 2014-08-25T14:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

“Yeah, it’s a dump.”

James offered her a teasing smile as he surveyed the sparsely furnished yet immaculately neat living area of Shay’s small apartment. She had been making excuses for her place since he pulled up. None of them held up under his scrutiny. In fact, he thought it looked like a minimalist’s dream.

“Ha, ha, very funny.” Shay looked around, trying to see her home through a stranger’s eyes. It gave precious little away, not that anyone came by to see it. Eric had not liked her cramped cell, as he called her one-bedroom apartment. They went to hotels or, occasionally, his place.

She dropped her belongings on the small round pedestal table in the dining area off a tiny kitchen and turned to James.

He toed off his shoes, not wanting to track water in, and then removed his gun to set it out of reach on a nearby shelf. She’d invited him in but he wasn’t sure what that involved. She still had time to change her mind before he lost his completely. He unhooked Bogart’s leash and turned toward her.

She didn’t have many filters. It was all there on her face. Desire, nervousness, indecision, and a flicker of hope that he would take the decision away from her.

He smiled a warm intimate male smile that made her flush. “I hope it’s okay to bring Bogart in.”

“Of course.” She bent down to pat her furry friend on the head. “I forgot to get back the pet deposit I had to put down when I adopted him.”

He watched her shoulders rise and fall on a deep breath. And then she was turning back to him. He saw a decision forming in her mind. Her eyes were shining beneath her glossy bangs, drawing in all the light in the room. Her mouth was soft. Yet her words, as always, were meant to deflect any vulnerability.

“We live in different places. So this.” She waved a hand around as if to include her apartment and Bogart. “This is just a hookup, like last time.”

James heard the question she wasn’t asking. It was in the way she’d dipped her chin, looking at him from beneath a thick fan of dark lashes. She wanted confirmation to keep her emotions locked up. He wished he could give it to her.

“Last time, maybe. But I came back.”

Her silences were as eloquent as her declarations.

“I don’t know what the hell this is. All right?” He brushed a hand over his short haircut, annoyed with himself. All he knew for certain was that he was taking a very big risk. And so was she.

Her smile appeared so slowly he had decided it wasn’t going to arrive before it did. Small victory.

He looked over the tiny counter into the kitchen where Bogart was investigating.

“Let me get Bogart some water.”

“There’s a dog dish under the sink. I couldn’t bear to part with it.”

James padded in sock feet into her kitchen space and found it. He had enjoyed her company tonight. But

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