Falling for Jillian by Kristen Proby Read Free Book Online Page B

the arm. “You shouldn’t have done that! You took ten years off my life!”
    I throw my arms around his torso and squeeze him tightly, then back away.
    “No, you shouldn’t have been on that ladder. If I catch you on one again, I’ll spank your ass until it glows.”
    My jaw drops as I gaze up into his frustrated face. For once in my life, I’m speechless. I scowl as I pull myself together and clench my fists. “You wouldn’t dare . . .”
    “Put yourself in danger again and see if I don’t,” he replies calmly and crosses his arms over his chest.
    “Did you come here to bully me?”
    He sighs and pulls his beanie off his head, pushing his fingers through the messy brown strands. I want to sink my fingers in that thick, dark hair.
    “No. I came because you won’t answer your fucking phone so I can apologize for the other night.”
    “I don’t want your apology,” I reply and throw the extra lights and staple gun back into the tote and turn away, but he catches my arm and turns me back to him, takes the tote, and sets it down.
    “I’m going to give it anyway.” His jaw is firm. “I had no right to kiss you like that in the parking lot for everyone to see.”
    I jerk back, mortified. “You’re apologizing for kissing me ?”
    He shakes his head and starts to speak, but I interrupt.
    “So let me get this straight. You’re not apologizing for yelling at me, or for walking out on me that morning without a note or a word, or even for turning me on and then leaving me. You’re apologizing for fucking kissing me. ”
    I’m so mortified, I don’t know what to do with myself. Before I can turn and run away from him, he catches my arm again and turns me to face him, his hands holding my shoulders firmly.
    “What do you want from me?” he growls.
    “I want you to be honest,” I reply. “I want you to look me in the eye and just tell me you don’t want me. Stop playing with me. We had sex months ago, and I was afraid it was going to make us all uncomfortable, and for a little while it did. But then it got better, and now we’re back to awkward. Zack, our families are entwined, and we’re going to see a lot of each other. I don’t want to always be on edge around you.”
    “Jilly,” he whispers, his eyes pinned to my lips. “I’m trying to apologize for hurting you. For not talking to you.”
    “You could just stay away from me,” I say and try to back out of his hold, but his fingers tighten. “We’ll be civil at get-togethers and just ignore each other the rest of the time.”
    “That’s not possible.” He steps closer and tips my chin up with his cold glove-covered finger. “That’s just it, Jill. I can’t stay away. I’ve tried for months. I know I’m fucking this up because when I’m aroundyou, I turn into a tongue-tied idiot. I wanted to apologize for hurting your feelings and ask you to come out to the ranch tonight for dinner.”
    He’s panting like saying that was the hardest thing he’s ever pushed past his lips. He looks uncertain and vulnerable and suddenly, something in me . . . shifts.
    “You want to do dinner with Josh and Cara?” I ask uncertainly.
    “No.” He shakes his head and chuckles humorlessly. “I’m asking you out on a fucking date.”
    “And eloquently at that,” I reply dryly. He swears under his breath and backs away, and I gasp at the loss of his heat on my cold shoulders.
    “You know what? Never mind.”
    We’re still standing in my yard. This is insane.
    “Wait.” He stops with his back to me. I walk to him and stare up at him. “What about Seth?”
    “He’s staying with a friend in town tonight,” he replies.
    “I’m not sleeping with you,” I tell him defiantly. He lets out the breath he’s been holding and laughs, and when he sobers, he pulls his gloves off and tosses them to the ground, then cups my face in his hands gently.
    “I’m not asking you to my home to fuck you, Jillian. I want to make you a meal, maybe watch a