Taste (Sovereign Book 2) by BJ Harvey Read Free Book Online

that,” I said, deadpan.
    “So far, yes.”
    I gasped at his audacity, which earned me a half-hearted grin that soon disappeared when I glowered at him. “So what you’re saying is that you didn’t know who I was until after we got to Vegas?”
    “I didn’t until halfway through the flight when I was checking my files and saw your photo.”
    “Was that before or after you challenged me to find you?”
    “After. Definitely after. Lys, I had no idea.”
    I ignored his pet name and pressed on. “Then why did you find me?”
    “Because I had to.” His words were very matter-of-fact, leaving no room for argument.
    “That’s a brush off and you know it.”
    “What do you want me to say? He hired me to find out information about you, your company, your financial holdings. He wanted me to get close to you.”
    “And fuck me?” I asked straight out.
    The silence stretched between us as our eyes stayed locked together. His non-response told me everything. I lifted my own glass to my lips and took a large sip, needing the alcohol for both courage and control since my gut instinct was to stride across the room and slap his face. Instead, I took a few deep calming breaths before speaking.
    “So was it all a game to you? Nail the suspect and nail his stepdaughter too, as a bonus prize?” My tone turned scathing.
    Without warning, he moved to sit on the coffee table in front of me. His long legs were bent at the knee, bracketing my own. He leaned forward and gently, but with enough pressure to make it known he wasn’t playing, placed both of his hands on my thighs. All the while, his eyes never left mine. “Lys, nothing that I felt when I was with you was a game. The moment I kissed you, I was gone. One fucking kiss, and I was willing to walk away from the case so it couldn’t jeopardize anything I wanted to have with you.”
    Pushing his hands off me, I stood up and moved to stand at the glass door leading to his balcony. I needed distance from him so that he couldn’t mess with my head. I knew I was kidding myself though, because Barrett . . . Mark—whatever the hell his name was—had been screwing with my head and my emotions ever since he walked onto that plane.
    I looked out over the water of Puget Sound and tried to work out why I could ever have thought it would be a good idea to see him again.
    “Can you tell me one thing?” I asked.
    “Anything.”
    “Why didn’t you sleep with me?” It was one of the questions I desperately wanted the answer to.
    “You have no idea how hard it was to walk away from you.” His voice was raw, so much so there was no doubt in my mind that he was telling me the truth.
    “Why did you then?”
    “Because I never wanted you to think I was only looking for a quick lay.”
    “Well you were . . .”
    “On the plane, yes. Once you talked to me, no,” he replied with conviction.
    It seemed to be true that the brain and the heart—even hormones—could lead you in the wrong direction, even when the right man was standing in front of them. By letting Aiden walk away from me, I realized that being there with Barrett was a mistake—or staying there would be—and made the decision to leave.
    “I need to go. I shouldn’t have come here,” I said to the glass before turning to face him. He was still sitting in the same spot except his head had dropped into his hands, his shoulders were slumped, and his posture was one of resignation.
    I made my way across to the couch where I’d left my purse but stopped when his arm shot out and his fingers wrapped around my wrist. His grip was firm but gentle, the meaning behind his action clear as day, but the moment he touched me, my entire body sparked to life as if I’d been electrified.
    “Alyssa,” he said in a strained voice, rendering me speechless. I waited for him to say more, for the words ‘I’m sorry’ to leave his lips, but he didn’t say anything.
    Instead, he stood up and moved close to me, his body heat radiating