“You do this to me. So easily.”
“Do what?”
“Make me want you. Make me want so much with you.” This time she was honest. She bent her head, wincing inside at her weakness. He’d be gentle with her though, right? Let her down easily because he was more of a gentleman than she’d ever given him credit for.
He lifted her chin, angling her face so she had to lift her lashes and look directly at him again. “Why is that a problem?”
To her utter horror, stinging tears flooded her eyes. Damn, she was that silly, scared teenager all over again. “You were right. I am the same old scaredy-cat I was when I first went overseas. I’m sorry.”
His arms tightened for another second, and then relaxed. She knew she could push away from him if she wanted to.
“Lexie. I don’t think that’s quite true. I think you’re amazing. And I need you to give this a chance. This is special. You’re special to me. You’ve always been special to me.” He frowned. “I’d decided to stay away from you five minutes before you turned vixen on me. And I just lost it. Once I’d started, there was no stopping. Anything you offered I was going to take and I was going to ask for more. I want so much more from you, Lexie. Not just sex.” He finally smiled. “Although it’s fair to say I want a lot of that too. The other night was spectacular, but it wasn’t enough. I thought it would be. I was wrong. I don’t want to have a fling w
ith you. I want more. We are more. But then you acted all one-night-stand on me and it hurt. And some of what you said was right. That hurt too.”
“You only do temporary,” she countered, just as soft. Not wanting to be crushed any more than she already was. “You have millions of girlfriends. All temporary.”
“I don’t have millions of girlfriends.” He denied it strenuously. “I haven’t had the time. I went straight from my bachelor’s into my MBA and then straight into the firm. I’ve been too damn busy.”
“But you dated hundreds of girls in high school. Hundreds.”
“Hell, Lexie. You know why that was?” He laughed roughly. “I was trying to escape from you. From how much I wanted you. That six months I was a total man whore, yes I was. But it never worked. It was never great. It never worked and I grew out of it so quickly.”
“Not that quickly.” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. He’d been doing that to avoid any feelings for her? “You broke my heart so many times over.”
And it broke her heart a bit now too. Because they’d both been young and stupid and unable to handle how it was between them.
“You broke mine, too. You never looked at me again. I lived under the same roof as you and I wasn’t allowed anywhere...’ he huffed out a breath. ‘It was complete torture. I had to respect my parents. I had to respect you. I had to try to forget you—my feelings for you. I had to do whatever it took. I thought I had.”
She stared up at him and read the old conflict, the remnants of hurt and rejection in his eyes. They had been young. And she’d been sheltered. And she understood how it was that his parents would’ve been horrified at the thought of him taking advantage of her. Only he hadn’t been. He’d been genuine. And he’d been hurt by it all too. It was just the circumstance, their ages. But things were different now.
So very different. And thank heavens she’d come to London. Thank heavens she’d met him again. Because this time was the right time.
“Luke…”
He kissed her and her senses soared into the sky. He was here. He’d come for her. He wanted her. He’d always wanted her. The same way she’d wanted him. And that horrible ache she’d carried with her for so long, now eased. As it did, as she sank against him completely, his arms tightened. She had the gorgeous feeling he was never going to let her go. And she was so okay with that.
“My heart feels a lot better now,” he said.
“Mine too,” she whispered in sweet relief.
They kissed again. A long, hot, heavenly kiss that verged on the improper-in-public.
“So,” he laughed eventually, his brows waggling wickedly. “I have this month off from work. You have no job. What on earth are we going to do with our time?”
“Go on that big Ferris wheel again,” she answered promptly, unable to hold back her smile. “It’s a beautiful day— we might actually see something this time. I want to relax and enjoy the view.”
He glanced up at the sky and grinned—because it was another dreary gray day. But inside them both, it was as if the sun was brilliantly shining.
“So you’re going to trust me, Lexie?” he asked, a serious glint back in his eyes. “You’re going to say yes and stay with me? See where this takes us?”
She thought about it, about what she’d thought she knew and what she really knew. She’d jumped to conclusions, she’d been stupidly scared. But she refused to let fear hold her back now. He believed in her—he always had. And she believed in him too. Understanding what had happened, understanding how they’d grown… she realised how much she believed in them. So there was only one possible answer for her to give. His arms tightened, as if he already knew. And with a smile and the sting of a single happy tear she lifted her lips to brush against his as she whispered.
“Yes, yes, yes!”
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If you loved Her Forbidden Crush, please consider leaving a review. And be sure to read the others in the series: Her One Night Fiancé and Her Bossy Billionaire!
Love in London
Read the other stories in the Love In London series!
HER ONE NIGHT FIANCÉ
The sexy stranger on the train seriously saved me from an epically hellish night…
The last thing store assistant Nina Breslin wants is to face an army of her cheating exe’s friends, while workaholic billionaire Eduardo Ruiz really doesn’t want to face the onslaught of his interfering family who’ve flown in for the night—with prospective ‘perfect partner’ in tow.
What better than to team up and take the heat off each other?
Only during their one-night fake fiancé deal, the heat between them burns hotter than Venus!
What happens when they wake up and Nina is still wearing Eduardo’s ring? And when it’s not just bodies but hearts that have become entwined?
Featuring nerdy Shakespeare quotes, an outrageously oversized diamond, hidden heartbreak and hot, hot nights... Her One Night Fiancé is a delicious treat sure to satisfy lovers of sassy, sexy contemporary romance.
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HER BOSSY BILLIONAIRE
Having barely survived a business catastrophe, the last thing fiercely independent Libby Harris needs is her client’s bossy older brother interfering in her schedule. Especially not some far too good-looking, know-all billionaire.
Jack Barnes has been Mr Responsible for years, taking care of his vulnerable younger sibling, so when a random but gorgeous woman appears in his apartment claiming to be there for his brother, his wary radar pings.
Turns out the luscious Libby isn’t a threat to anyone but Jack’s own peace of mind and for once he’s tempted to cast off caution and indulge in the moment. But what should’ve been something light and fun turns sticky when other uncontrollable emotions emerge...
Featuring unusual suggestions for maple syrup, sizzling chemistry on the kitchen counter and one serious commitment-phobe…
Her Bossy Billionaire is for readers who love it when a billionaire boss comes up against a woman unafraid to make her own rules in this sexy contemporary romance.
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