The Best Thing He Never Knew He Needed by Tina Martin Read Free Book Online Page B

him join her. She had been so
nervous about the idea of being at the house with him, she hadn’t
eaten anything since lunch. She was starving, but still too nervous
to eat.
    Desmond sat down at the
table, glanced up at her and said, “You’re not hungry?”
    She looked back at him. “I
am.”
    He cracked a smile.
“Eat.”
    Sherita picked up a fork,
using it to cut a slither of lasagna then took it to her mouth. She
wasn’t certain about this strange energy she felt between herself
and Desmond. All she knew was, she wanted to limit their
conversation. He wasn’t the type of man she wanted to get entangled
with.
    Then again, perhaps she was
looking at this all wrong. Maybe Desmond had no real interest in
her. He was being himself, a ladies man. A player. Didn’t all
players try to hit on every woman they came into contact with? Why
would he be any different?
    She watched him slice a
massive chunk of the lasagna, opening his mouth wide to chew it.
Apparently, he was hungry too.
    Desmond greedily finished
the first bite. After taking a sip of water, he looked up at her.
“So, Sherita…”
    Sherita looked up at him
and held his gaze, watching his lips form into a smile.
    “ Yes?” she forced
out.
    “ I want to address
something you said earlier.”
    “ What was
that?”
    “ You said I’d been doing a
good job of avoiding you.”
    Sherita shook her head.
“There’s no need to address it.”
    “ There is. You seemed
bothered by it?”
    She lifted a brow. “Not
sure how you got that impression, but I’m not bothered by it. Not
at all. As a matter of fact, I didn’t even want to come here
tonight to babysit when Emily told me you would be
here.”
    “ And why’s that,
Sherita?”
    “ Because I don’t know you
all that well, Desmond. I know of you. I know what I hear, what I’ve
seen.”
    “ Then let’s address some
of it,” he said, stuffing more lasagna to his mouth.
    “ Why?”
    “ Because I think we
should.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin. “There’s no reason for
us to be enemies.”
    “ And there’s no reason for
us to be friends, either.”
    He stared at her for a
moment. “Okay,” he nodded. “Let’s say there’s no reason for us to
be friends…does that mean you have to avoid me? Think less of me
than you do of my brothers?”
    “ Since when do you care
what people think about you?”
    “ Who said anything
about people ? I’m
talking about you, Sherita.”
    Sherita took a sip of water
to quell the intense heat of his eyes. He made it a practice to
stare at her, and he knew there wasn’t anything she could do about
it but get up and walk away. But that would be admitting he was
able to get to her. She wouldn’t let him have the upper hand. So,
after setting her glass back on the table, she said, “Okay. Let’s
talk.”
    He seemed pleased with her
response. Finally, he was getting his way. “Why do you think I’ve
been avoiding you?” he asked.
    “ I don’t think it…I know
it for a fact. You have been avoiding me. Dante, Dimitrius, Melanie,
Emily…everybody knows it.”
    “ Okay, you’re not
understanding my question so let me be clearer. Yes, I have been
avoiding you. My question is, why do you think I’ve been doing
so?”
    She shrugged. “Beats me.
Unlike you, I don’t have the capability to read minds, and if I
did, your mind wouldn’t be one I would read.”
    He forced himself to grin.
She wasn’t ready for intense Desmond, but it looked like he had to
give it to her anyway. He took a napkin, wiped his mouth and
cleared his throat. “The reason I’ve been avoiding you is because I
like you. I’m attracted to you. I like the way you talk, the sound
of your voice and the way you laugh when I hear you interacting
with Emily and Melanie. I like the way you dress, the way your lips
poke out when you’re upset and the way you blush when you’re
embarrassed, sort of like you’re doing right now. You’re a good
woman, Sherita. You have a strong work ethic