Tempted (The Dark Billionaire, #5) by L.N. Pearl Read Free Book Online Page A

space, but Enzo’s hug felt extremely soft and comforting.
    As soon as he wrapped his arms around her, time seemed to slow down and the world stopped to exist. She didn’t see anything, didn’t hear anything and didn’t taste anything. All she could feel were the firm pressure of his body and the intoxicating scent of his cologne. He smelled fresh, clean and masculine, and Jennifer instantly felt butterflies dancing in her stomach.
    When she opened her eyes, Enzo was standing in front of her, holding a bunch of roses in his hands. Her heart stopped and then pounded in her chest.
    “Oh my God... They’re beautiful,” she said, blushing. She wasn’t pretending. The flowers were large, red and radiant, absolutely gorgeous. “You shouldn’t have...”
    “It’s the biggest bunch I could find,” he said, apologizing. “They were out of stock.”
    “Jesus, no it’s perfect,” she said, diving her nose into the roses. “Mmm... Thank you, Enzo. That’s very sweet. How was your flight?”
    “Very long but I knew I would see you again, so it made everything more bearable.”
    “How did you know you would see me again? What if I wasn’t in New York, or just busy?”
    “I would have waited.”
    “What if I didn’t want to see you?”
    Enzo waved his hand in the air, as if he was pushing that silly idea out of the way. “Well, you’re here so I was right.”
    You don’t know how lucky you’ve been that I had a fight with Bruce, my dear, she thought. Enzo’s cockiness was both annoying and amusing. He talked as if things were for certain, as if Jennifer would have come anyway.
    Funny.
    He was almost like a child, focused on what he wanted and ignoring all other factors. Jennifer looked at him for a while and their eyes locked. At least, Enzo had made it clear that she was his priority and was doing everything to please her - something she was dying to experience again with Bruce.
    “Hello?” Enzo snapped his fingers in front of her face and looked at her from under his eyelashes. “Are you okay? What are you thinking about? Missed me?”
    Jennifer smiled and ignored his question. “Let’s eat something. First time in New York?”
    “Yeah, first time.”
    “What do you want to try?”
    “Hot dogs and bagels.”
    “Really?” Jennifer was surprised. It wasn’t the kind of food - junk food actually - that Bruce enjoyed eating, but it was a refreshing change. It was something she could relate to quite easily, something closer to her day-to-day life. It was life as a simple New Yorker.
    “Yeah, really,” he said.
    “You don’t want to try anything fancy?”
    “Naw... I don’t care about that. I always eat in fancy places in Thailand for half the price. I want to eat like people in the movies, you know.”
    Jennifer giggled and nodded. “Okay, I get it. Come on, this way.”
    They started walking side by side and Enzo gently pushed her with his elbow, inviting her to hook her arm around it. She looked at his arm, looked up at his eyes, looked down again and smiled. Enzo wasn’t doing anything wrong and was a gentleman so far. Why not, she thought.
    She hooked his elbow and said, “So what brings you to the big Apple?”
    “Work. We’re working on a deal with a cosmetic company to promote their products in our hotels.”
    “Cool. Which company?”
    “Ashley Thompson. Heard about her?”
    “Oh yeah, definitely; business woman of the year and fastest growing company with less than fifty million in assets.”
    “How do you know that?”
    “Magazines... I’m doing a lot of research...”
    “For your boyfriend?”
    Jennifer winced and unhooked her arm from his elbow. She didn’t want to talk about Bruce. “No. For myself.”
    “Uh oh,” Enzo said. “Sensitive subject. What’s going on?”
    “Nothing,” Jennifer said, walking faster.
    Enzo grabbed her by the hand and turned her around. She felt the soft skin of his large and manly hand, squeezing against hers - a delicate touch that made