A Reason To Stay by Julieann Dove Read Free Book Online Page A

future. Some women in the past have found me irresistible, you know?” He batted his sad eyes at her.
    She pulled away and retreated behind her desk. Perhaps solid pieces of matter could put a divide where her words could not. “Darren, you are irresistible. Any normal girl would be lucky to have you. I’m just not normal. I have a genetic flaw. I was born without a commitment gene. It has nothing to do with you. Please understand that. Futures, dreams, and plans don’t exist in my world. I have an expiration date. And you see, you’ve got preconceived ideas. Ideas that I’d change and settle. It would never work. You’ll always want more. And you deserve more. You deserve a girl who is ready to settle.” She paced back and forth behind her swivel chair, talking with fluent hand gestures.
    He walked to her, invading her space and taking her by the shoulders. “Elise, I choose you, however you are. With whatever you need. Now, stop trying to fight me and let’s erase the other night.” His eyes pierced her with determination. “I have to go because I’m in deep shit for being late to work. But I am going to pick you up for dinner. We can finish this discussion then.”
    She started to dispute him, but he covered her gaping mouth with his, wrestling with her tongue, kissing her passionately and pressing her harder against him. When it was over, she caught her breath and straightened her suit. After smiling devilishly, he left. Those damn corners of his mouth were doing some type of interpretive dance she did not know.
    She plopped down at her desk, exasperated from his physical man-handling. She didn’t know whether she wanted to chase him down for a quickie in the conference room or fire Janine for lack of loyalty and letting her walk into the lion’s den. Either way, she lost that round. She was back on the hook of semi-commitment.
    Elise left earlier than usual that evening. She’d barely got any work completed, anyway. Her mind was on what to do with her predicament of Darren. She managed to devise a plan to take him off guard by going to his workplace. She wanted to finish this in a public arena. If they met alone at his house, she knew she wouldn’t have a chance again at defending her weak principles. The thought of strewn clothes and messed-up sheets almost brought a smile to her face. She felt herself coming undone the more time this remained an uncut, clear breakup.
    She had it planned out in her head, perfectly. She’d show up, tell him a final good-bye, and then smooth it over with a pleasant peck on the cheek. After a week away in Kentucky, she’d have a better chance at avoiding him when she returned. She could only hope he didn’t have anything planned for their last night together.

CHAPTER FIVE

    Three Little Words

    Elise’s heels echoed through the enormous halls of the hospital as she searched for the door that read ‘Dr. Darren Masterson.’ Ten doors down from the receptionist’s desk and she finally got to it, putting her hand up to knock, and waiting when she heard faint laughing coming from inside. After looking around to see if anyone was watching, she placed her left ear against the door, hoping to hear what was so funny. If she remembered correctly, Darren was in the first stages of the grieving process with their pending breakup. What was there to laugh about?
    A doctor suddenly appeared, walking toward her, watching her with glasses setting on the tip of his nose, forcing her to back up and knock on the door. When she heard the come-in command she pushed the heavy door open. A tall, blond woman turned around. Elise fought back a dose of shock, pasted a polite smile on her face and waited for Darren to claim which side he was on. The model-turned-doctor side, or the short-brunette-whom-he-wanted-a-future-with side? He rose up from his desk.
    “Elise, you’ve met Stacy Chadwick, haven’t you?”
    The woman walked over to Elise, wearing a pair of skyscraper legs and extending