Only One (Ward Sisters Book 2) by Lucy Gage Page B

know that I'll ever be able to forget this. It's not every day you get to have a movie star bang you until you're senseless.”
    “Planning to talk to the tabloids, are you?” he asked flatly.
    “Oh, stop. I'm teasing. I didn't sleep with you because you're an actor. I could do that any time. My dad represents enough of them and I've met my share. I slept with you because you're hot and almost as smart as I am. It's an intoxicating combination.”
    And if you asked, I'd probably try to give this a go even without the sparks because I like you that much .
    “You don't have a self-esteem problem, do you?” he joked.
    She thought , Not anymore. Thanks for erasing awful Chad from my brain. Then said, “Nope. Not usually. When I meet the man who makes me nervous and unsure of myself, then I'll know I've met the love of my life.”
    “I hear you. When you meet the person who makes you want to be more than you are, then you're on the right track.”
    “Rachel wasn't that girl, was she?”
    “No. I didn't see it before. After we broke up, my best friend, Liam, told me that she blackmailed him in college when he caught her cheating on me. Turns out, she's a class A manipulator. I was too blinded by her appearance of perfection to see it.”
    “You'll find her someday. The One.”
    He gave her a smile that didn't meet his eyes. “Too bad you're not my type. You're exactly the girl I should want to be with.”
    “Well, maybe it's best if we keep this hot sex between us, then. Better that people think we weren't attracted to each other than to have them wonder why it is that we're not together.”
    Rob nodded. She bet the last thing he needed was more rumors and speculation. Unlike the rest of the world, a celebrity's life could never be straightforward. Which was precisely why Jenna had suggested they should just be friends; she didn't want to become tabloid fodder if it didn't work out between them. If she was confident it could last, she'd be willing to endure the crap that would come with being this man's partner. He seemed more than worth all that.
    But she didn't feel sure about where this would go, and he confirmed her suspicion, that they be better friends. Of course, that didn't mean they couldn't go a few more rounds today. Her nipples tightened at the thought.
    “Want to go again, while we're still here?” she asked, biting her lip. God, did she hope he'd say yes.
    Rob grinned, his pupils dilated again, his member ready for round two. Hopefully the next of many this afternoon.
    “You read my mind,” he said, kissing her senseless again.
     
    **********
     
    Mankato, Minnesota, four and a half years ago...
     
    A week after Jenna met Rob, word spread around the office that Chad would make a temporary move to Portland, Oregon to expand the company. Pat told her later he'd all but demanded that Chad accelerate the expansion agenda and be the one to make the move. Though he wasn't a threatening man by nature – Pat was too mellow for that – he could be domineering.
    Chad listened.
    Jenna stayed until a month before Chad was set to return. Six months before that, she'd begun the search for a new position. She'd stayed friends with Rob and they usually talked at least once each week. When she was close to deals with a few companies, she called her friend and told him about the offers, hoping to get his opinion.
    Rob said, “You should come work for me instead.”
    “Oh yeah? Can you pay better than Facebook? Because they made me a generous offer.”
    “I bet I can,” Rob replied.
    “Tell me what you think I'm worth and if it's better than their offer, I'll come work for you. If you're serious.”
    “I'm completely serious. I need someone like you. If I'm going to have an online presence, I want it to be a secure one and I don't know anyone more talented in cybersecurity than you. We've talked about the search algorithm programming you've been perfecting. I told you I thought it would be a huge asset to the