Gratification (Desire Never Dies) by Clara Grace Walker

Author:Clara Grace Walker
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2013-08-30T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 39

Preston had never fully understood Maggie’s reasons for leaving him in Miami, but he understood perfectly her reasons for rejecting his embrace and leaving him standing alone at his front door. And he felt all the worse for it.

If regret alone could kill a person, he’d for damn sure be dead right now. He had been the one to drag her into the middle of something she never wanted any part of.

Now she had lost her bar.

And he had lost her.

Again.

He had to be a man about this. Had to make things right again. He owed her that much.

He managed to walk the length of the few houses that separated his rented place from her house, without consciously being aware of it. Steeling himself, he rang the doorbell. With any luck, this apology would go a little better than the last one.

She opened the door, looking much the same as she had when she’d shown up at his house, only now she had her t-shirt tucked all the way into her shorts. It never failed to amaze him how beautiful she was without the least bit of primping. Those round turquoise eyes of hers seemed to stare into the very essence of his soul. He’d always felt like she knew him better than he knew himself.

“Maggie, I owe you an apology. What happened to your bar is completely my fault.”

She looked him over skeptically and shook her head. “Why don’t you come in? I’ve got some cold lemonade if you’re thirsty.”

“Thanks. That sounds great.” He noticed that, unlike his place, hers was cleaned and straightened up. Yeah, he definitely needed to call a cleaning service and get his place whipped into shape.

She poured two glasses of lemonade, handed him one and headed out the sliding glass doors that looked out onto the ocean. “It’s a nice morning to sit outside, don’t you think?”

He nodded. It was also less private, and therefore, less likely she’d let him near her.

Looking over the patio furniture, he counted two deck chairs and a patio table with four matching chairs. Nothing two people could sit together on. She sat down at the table, so he sat in the chair beside her. Apparently, that was as close as he was going to get.

“I talked to Nick,” she said. “He’s giving me the opportunity to print my side of the story about the bar closing in his next edition.”

He scoffed. “Mighty generous of him, wasn’t it?”

She shook her head. “Not really. Knowing Nick, I’m sure he just looks at it as another publicity opportunity for his paper. But that’s okay, because my story is going to be about my charity ball, and how it went off without a hitch; leaving people to wonder what that nonsense about my bar being closed down was all about.”

That attitude was classic Maggie. Stubborn and defiant to the last. He nearly choked on his lemonade trying to not to laugh. Instead, he splashed the drink down his chin, and then

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