The Proposition by Katie Ashley Read Free Book Online Page A

myself.
You’re like a fucking vision tonight.”
    She widened her eyes and then smiled. “Okay
then, you’re forgiven.”
    Aidan grinned. “Glad to hear it. Are you
hungry?”
    “A little,” she lied. The very thought of
eating made her want to throw up. Her nerves were still too out of
control.
    “Come on.” He rested his palm against the
small of her back and guided her towards the hotel restaurant. A
waiter outfitted in a tux sat them at a table with a gorgeous view
of the sun setting over the city. He took their drink orders and
then left.
    When she reached for the menu, her fingers
grazed Aidan’s. He glanced up and gave her his signature drop dead
sexy smile. A mixture of burning longing coupled with crippling
anxiety pulsed through her, and she shifted her gaze back to the
menu. Breathe, Em. You can do this.
    “What sounds good?” he asked, breaking the
silence.
    “Oh, I don’t know,” she murmured, keeping her
eyes firmly on the menu. Food was the farthest thought from her
mind. All she could think about was what was going to happen after
dinner. What would it feel like to finally be intimate with someone
else again? Most of all, she worried she could never live up to the
expectations he had set for her.
    Emma was never more grateful when the waiter
returned with her margarita. She tipped it up and took a long,
fiery gulp, sucking half the glass down. She shuddered when the
alcohol hit her stomach.
    By the time the waiter took their food order,
she had guzzled the scorching tequila heavy drink and ordered
another one.
    “I guess they make a pretty mean margarita
here, huh?” Aidan asked with a tight smile.
    She bobbed her head enthusiastically.
“Totally.”
    While Aidan launched into a conversation
detailing his promotion to Vice President of marketing and how he
was looking forward to all the traveling, Emma worked at draining
her second margarita. She barely processed his ramblings about
working overseas and within the country for business. Instead, she
focused on slurping the liquid courage through the tiny straw.
Without missing a beat, she waved the waiter over for another.
    Aidan cut himself off mid-sentence and
quirked his blonde eyebrows. “Are you trying to get drunk off your
ass so you can endure having sex with me?”
    “No, no, that’s not it at all!” she
cried.
    He leaned in across the table. “You barely
drank half of your margarita last week. Now you’re downing them
like a lush fresh out of rehab.”
    Emma drew in a deep breath, deciding it was
best to be honest with him. “It’s just…I’m nervous that’s all.”
    “About us sleeping together?”
    Emma nodded.
    Aidan’s brows creased. “Are you afraid I’m
going to hurt you or make you do something you don’t want to?”
    “No, it’s nothing like that.”
    “Then what is it?” he demanded.
    “I’m afraid of being a disappointment.”
    His mouth fell open in disbelief. “How could
you possibly think that?”
    She shrugged. “Because you’ve been with a lot
of women…I don’t have the experience. I’ve only been with one man,
and outside of him, I don’t know what men want.”
    “First of all, despite what the rumor mill
says my number is relatively low, Emma. It’s not like I’ve fucked
half of the city, or I’m Gene Simmons from Kiss. And second, sex is
basically the same premise no matter who you’re with. Different
people bring different likes and desires to the table.”
    She toyed with the straw in her drink. “I
guess I’m afraid once you’ve been with me, you won’t want to follow
through with our bargain.”
    “Like I’d be so turned off by the experience
I’d never want to sleep with you again?”
    “Yes,” she murmured. When Aidan threw his
head back and roared with laughter, her lip trembled slightly.
“It’s not funny.”
    His amusement quickly faded. “Oh Em, I’m
sorry if I hurt your feelings. It’s just I couldn’t imagine you
would actually believe something like