The Fighter's Secretary by Ann Mayburn Read Free Book Online

hell did you tell her?”
    “The truth. That I found a woman who made me want to be a better man.”
    She gaped at him. “How the fuck is blackmailing me making you a better man?”
    His dark brows lowered and he released her hand. “Look, I know this isn’t exactly normal—”
    “Ya think?”
    His lips twitched in a smile and the memory of their kiss began to burn through her. “Like I was saying, this isn’t exactly normal, but I do like you, Amanda. I’ve liked you for a long time but I never thought I’d have a chance with you.”
    Shaking her head, she moved away from his all-too-tempting mouth over to the crystal pitcher of sangria. “Men who like women don’t blackmail them into doing something they don’t want, Dallas.”
    His heat pressed against her back a moment before he wrapped his arms around her. “Admit it, you’d never have given me a chance to prove how good we could be together otherwise.”
    Oh how she wanted to believe him, to know that her secret crush had a crush on her as well, but she was a practical woman and protective of her heart. “Was this before or after you fucked your way through Miami? I mean come on, Dallas, I’ve seen the results of dating you, had to deal with more than one pissed-off ex-girlfriend. You think that makes me even the slightest bit interested in you? To know what a man-whore you are?”
    His grip tightened and he said in a low voice, “Every single woman that I dated knew the score. She knew that I wasn’t looking for anything long-term, that I was just interested in a good time. I never lied to them and led them on.”
    Her hand shook as she poured herself a drink. “Right. And suddenly you’re ready for a commitment? Bullshit.”
    He took the glass from her hand and set it on the table before turning her to face him. She tried to look away, to not see the sincerity in his gaze, but he trapped her chin in his hand and made her look at him. “Amanda, I’ve never felt like this before. I’ve never been so hung up on a woman that she’s the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing at night. You consume me. I live for your smiles at work, devise ways to spend more time with you. I’ve been trying to get up the nerve to ask you out on a date, but you’re so fucking good at keeping a wall between us that you never gave me a chance. So I fucked up and did something I shouldn’t of, but don’t forget, you were the one who broke the rules first.”
    Swallowing hard, she tried to ignore the memories of masturbating in his office, of how hard she’d come, of how hard he’d made her come. “Dallas, we can’t do this.”
    His jaw firmed. “Yes, we can. Just give me a chance.”
    The light, clean scent of his cologne filled her as he pulled her close, rubbing his nose against hers. Unable to resist, she slid her hands over his shoulders and across his back, loving the firm, defined muscles beneath her fingertips. If she was being honest with herself Dallas was right. She’d never have given him a chance because she feared what he could do to her heart. Already she was half in love with the man and she knew what it would do to her when he dumped her for some new, leggy beauty.
    “Dallas, I can’t.”
    “Why not?”
    “Because I’m not your type. You’ll get bored with me and—”
    Once again, he shut her up with an amazing kiss that made her toes curl. She clung to him, sagging in his arms as he devoured her with his mouth. God could that man kiss. He pressed his pelvis against the cradle of her hips and reached down with one hand to grab her ass, pulling her tight against him. She moaned and he licked at her mouth, tasting every bit of her he could, addicting her to his touch, to his scent. Never before had she been kissed with such hunger and he brought out an almost animalistic side of her nature that she’d hidden from the men she dated. With a little growl in her throat she matched the intensity of his passion, digging her