Moment of Weakness - The Esquire Girls Series - Hailey (Book 1) by Cassie-Ann L. Miller Read Free Book Online

with a hot water bottle he’s just filled with scalding water.
     
    “No thanks. I’m on a diet,” I say feeling self-conscious. I feel slightly embarrassed discussing my eating habits with him so I change the subject quickly. “No tea for you?”
     
    “Nah.” He shakes his head as he brings the hot water bottle to his left shoulder. This movement causes his entire chest to flex and my, is he delicious.
     
    “What’s up with the water bottle?” I ask as I take a sip of tea before setting my cup down on the table.
     
    “Battle wound, I guess.” A distant look comes across his face like my question has tossed him back into the throes of an unpleasant memory. “Explosion in Basra. The blast was strong enough to pelt me a good few yards backwards into a concrete beam. My shoulder still acts up every now and then.”
     
    “Oh, shit,” I say softly. “That’s awful.”
     
    He looks up at me with a light smile on his lips. “I was lucky. Some of my brothers died in that explosion. I’m just lucky to be alive.”
     
    I don’t know what to say so I don’t say anything.
     
    We sit in silence for a long while. My eyes begin to flutter shut.
     
    And that’s the last thing I remember.
     
     

Chapter 14
     
    When my eyes blink open the next morning, they land on a set of unfamiliar curtains. Alarmed, I bounce upright in my seat and the couch springs squeak loudly. I yank the blankets off of me and notice that my jacket is still on, buttoned all the way up with my scarf around my neck.
     
    “Hey.”
     
    My head darts to the left where I see Jackson sitting at his computer desk in all his chiseled, shirtless glory.
     
    I yank wild strands of hair from my face as I try to piece together the events of last night and figure out how the hell I got here.
     
    “Good morning, Cowgirl,” Jackson says as he stands to his feet and with the flick of a button, turns on the electric kettle.
     
    “Good morning,” I mumble groggily as he bends into the mini fridge. His shorts hang loosely on his hips.
     
    Wow – what an ass.
     
    “You were out like a light last night,” he says as he sets a bowl of fruit on the counter.
     
    “I was tired,” I say as I glance around the apartment. It looks different in the glow of the sunlight. “Where did you sleep?” I ask panicking when I notice that the only door in the apartment leads to the washroom. There’s no separate bedroom.
     
    He nods towards the pile of blankets and pillows on the floor. When his eyes meet mine, he gives me an awkward grin.
     
    “Aww, man. Now I feel bad. I just showed up at your house in the middle of the night and stole your bed,” I say apologetically as I glance back at the couch where I’m sitting. “Why didn’t you wake me up? I would have gone home.”
     
    He smiles coyly. “I didn’t want to disturb you. You’re just so damned pretty while you sleep.”
     
    He moves towards me with a hot cup of tea and a bowl of fruits. He sets them on the table in front of me before sitting on the edge of the couch.
     
    “You’re blushing,” he remarks as he runs a finger down my heated cheek. Amusement dances in his eyes.
     
    I feel flustered and tongue-tied. It’s not every day that a man who I feel such raw attraction to calls me ‘damned pretty’. I can’t bring my gaze to his.
     
    He reaches out and gently holds my face in his hand. “Hailey…you’re pretty. Very pretty.”
     
    I must be the color of a beet right now. “Thank you,” I say in a small voice as I dare to bring my eyes to his.
     
    He finally looks satisfied. He stands again. “Okay – I need to go take a shower. I have to be at work soon,” he announces as he moves towards the washroom.
     
    I nod as I watch him go.
     
    “Don’t go anywhere, okay? I want you to be here when I get out.”
     
    I nod again.
     
    But as soon as the bathroom door closes, I grab my purse and tiptoe out the front door because I’m far too aroused to be left alone with