Burn Out by Cheryl Douglas Page A

nerve to bring a chaperone so he couldn’t get
close enough to execute his plan.
    “I don’t know
about yours,” she said, shaking his hand off her arm, “but my invitation said
plus one. Jeff is my plus one.”
    “Minus one, if you
ask me,” he muttered.
    She glared at him.
“Who are you to lecture me about bringing a date? I noticed Natasha is here.”
    He rolled his
eyes, but couldn’t quash the surge of hope that swelled in his chest. She was
jealous of Natasha; that had to mean, despite her protests, she still cared.
“Natasha has a boyfriend, but he couldn’t make it.”
    She raised an
eyebrow. “Really?”
    His eyes scanned
her body, taking in the skin tight warm-up suit she’d obviously worn for
comfort. “Does that make you happy, knowin’ Natasha’s off the market?”
    She lifted a
shoulder, feigning disinterest, but he knew her too well to be taken in by her
calm demeanor. “Why should I care who you date?”
    He grabbed her
waist, pulling her body against his just enough to drive the air out of her
lungs in a gasp. “You care because just a few days ago, you shared my bed.” He
skimmed his lips across her jaw. “And I know you too well to think that was
just a casual one-night stand. You don’t do casual, remember?”
    She pressed her
palms into his chest and tilted her head back to look at him. “How do you know
that? Maybe I’ve changed.”
    He smiled,
enjoying her insolence. She definitely wasn’t the same sweet girl he’d fallen
in love with years ago. She was all woman now: confident, sassy, and sexy. And
there was no way he was letting her walk away again. He didn’t care what it
cost. No price was too great to keep her in his life.
    “You weren’t
sleepin’ with Jeff the jackass. That tells me you wanna heat up the sheets with
only one guy, baby.” He brushed his lips against hers, smiling when her eyes
drifted closed. “We both know I’m the only guy you’ve ever wanted to be with.”
    “God,” she said,
pushing him away. “You’re as arrogant as ever.”
    He reached for her
hand and pressed a kiss to the inside of her wrist. “Just confident… that we
were meant to be together. If I had any doubt about whether you still had
feelings for me, you erased it that night in my bed,” he whispered, flicking
his tongue over her pulse point.
    “How many times do
I have to say this?” she said, trying to withdraw her hand. “I can’t be with
you anymore.”
    “You can’t be in
love with the guy I was, I get that. He was a selfish asshole, but you’re gonna
fall in love with the guy I am today. You’ll see.” He would make it impossible
for her to resist him. By the end of this trip, her pseudo-boyfriend would be
riding coach and they’d be locked down in their private jet’s master bedroom.
    “I don’t want to
hurt you again,” she said quietly. “And I don’t want to get hurt either. We
need to just let this thing go. Accept the fact that we had our time and now
it’s over.”
    He ran his hand
over her hair, a flicker of a smile passing his lips. “Baby, we’re just gettin’
started. We have the rest of our lives to be together.” He took a step closer,
half-expecting her to retreat. “That’s what you wanted, what I believe you
still want, and that’s what I’m gonna give you.”
    “No…” She shook
her head as a frown creased her brow. “That’s what I used to want, but that was
before. My life is different now. I’ve moved on.”
    Evan smirked.
“You’ve moved on with that guy? Come on now, girl. We both know you chose him
for one reason only: he’s a safe bet.”
    She crossed her
arms and tapped her flip flop against the carpet under her feet. “What the hell
do you know about it?”
    “I know you…” He
leaned in closer, whispering, “I know what you need, and it sure as hell isn’t
him.”
    “You’re so damn
sure you’re the only guy who could ever make me happy. You seem to forget you
had years to prove it and you failed