Tempted (A Player Brother Romance Book) (A Standalone Novel) (Player Brothers Book 1) by Claire Adams Read Free Book Online Page B

forward as he might lean in for another kiss. I could
see where this went, letting the fates decide how our future might unfold.
    But then my mind's drive took over slamming shut the
steel door of opportunity.
    I didn’t come here for a chance at the job of a
lifetime, only to be distracted by a pretty face. I stiffened my posture and
raised my hands to stop him.
    "I don't feel the same way."
    With those words I saw the laughter and camaraderie
drain from his face. The light in his eyes dimmed and he stepped back casting
his gaze to the ground.
    "Fair enough,” he said, rubbing his left arm.
    "I guess we should go home,” I said, turning
towards the parking lot.
    "Guess so," he said.
    As we walked back I wanted nothing more than to find
that lightness again, that easy friendship that had proven to be so fragile.
Maybe if I punched him lightly on the arm and offered him Monopoly and
chocolate cookies we could find that again.
    I doubted it.
    We continued on in silence until we arrived at our
vehicles. Our cars were the only two left in the lot, framed in the circular
light of the lamp posts. He walked over to his car without even saying goodbye.
    I felt badly for ending things in such a way after
having had such a fun evening. I never wanted to hurt him either, but I had to
make him believe that I didn’t have any feelings for him. This was as much for
his good as for mine. For the briefest of moments I wondered who I was trying
to convince, him or me.
    "Aiden," I called after him over the top of
my car. He turned with his hand on the handle of his door. "For what it's
worth, I had a good time tonight. I'll see you tomorrow at work?"
    "Yeah," he said, but the pain still
reflected in his eyes.
    He pulled his door open and vanished without another
word.
    The drive home left me feeling perplexed and angry. I
wanted this job more than I had wanted anything before in my life, but I couldn’t
deny even to myself that I had feelings for him.
    Perhaps, I thought, these are just remnants of a
childhood crush.
    That's all.
    There is nothing to analyze here. Of course I reacted
the way I had when he kissed me. It would have been the same if I had met an
old movie star that I admired or something like that.
    What girl hasn't fantasized about an unexpected kiss
from an attractive friend?
    It was just a kiss after all, I said to myself.
Tomorrow we will have forgotten the whole thing and be focused on the case.
Other than that there is nothing else to worry about.
    But the look the he had given me before he had opened
his car door told me otherwise. He had looked like a wounded animal, and I
shared that pain. Largely because I was responsible for causing it.
    I arrived home to find Kelsey sitting on the couch
going over some lines, with her feet tucked under her knees and a cup of tea on
the table.
    I was glad to see her.
    I wanted to share my internal conflict with her and
see what advice she might have. She closed her script book, laying it aside as
I stepped into the apartment and leaned my head against the door.
    "What am I going to do?!" I lamented before
even saying hello.
    "It's nice to see you too, Blair," she said.
"How was your day?"
    I rolled my eyes.
    "I have a big, big problem,” I exclaimed.
    "Have a seat," she gestured. "I'll make
you some tea."
    She stood and headed to the kitchen.
    I opted to change clothes first, shedding my work
clothes into a pile on the floor and pulling on my comfy cotton night gown. I
emerged from my room, having shed some of the stresses of the day with my
change of clothes, just as she finished in the kitchen. We headed to the living
room and she handed me the cup of tea that relaxed my senses immediately.
    "So what's going on?" she asked.
    "Do you remember Aiden, from high school?" I
asked.
    "The skinny kid?" she asked.
    "Yeah. He and I used to run around together all
the time."
    "Aiden Player!" she exclaimed recalling his
name. "Of course!"
    "He's my partner at the firm,” I said. "And
my