Casual Affair

She hadn’t even realized how much control Evan was exerting over her—isolating her from her friends, having opinions on what she wore and how she looked, deciding how they would spend their time without giving her a choice. Even dictating whom she could and could not speak to when they were in public together.

The most shameful part of it was the fact that she’d given up her scholarship…for him.

She had been offered an athletic scholarship to the University of Oregon—mecca for all track and field athletes in the country—and she had turned it down. Evan had convinced her that he couldn’t take being so far apart from each other, since he was still at Georgetown. He loved her too much to let all that distance come between them.

What a crock of shit.

But she’d fallen for it.

Embarrassingly, though, that hadn’t even been the worst part.

The worst was her being so blinded by “love” that she hadn’t even come to the realization that Evan was a world-class asshole on her own. It had only happened when she’d eavesdropped on one of his conversations and discovered the truth of their relationship.

They had been at a dinner party one night when she’d overheard Evan telling his snobby friends how much Congressman Paxton loved him and already saw him as a son. The final blow had been hearing his callous comment that the only reason he’d pursued her in the first place was to get into her father’s good graces. That having a political figure like her father on his side would open a lot of doors for him as a businessman when he graduated.

Right before storming out of the party, she’d dumped his ass. But she’d wallowed in her anger and betrayal and self-loathing for months.

That was when she realized the type of person she had become—easily manipulated by her naive feelings for the prick.

She’d turned down one of the most prestigious athletic programs in the country for a lie. She had set state records in the 1600 meters. Everyone told her she had such potential. What kind of success could she have had in college with some of the best track coaches in the nation behind her? National championships? Endorsements? The Olympics?

She would never know.

Because she had let a man, who hadn’t even cared about her, influence a decision that very well could have changed the course of her life. Allowed him to steer her life in a direction he wanted it to go.

Not that she didn’t love being an interior designer, because she truly did. Running and design were her two passions.

She just couldn’t help but wonder what might have been.

Evan had made her feel used, deceived, and more than anything, incredibly stupid.

She had solemnly vowed that she would never again be so blind when it came to a man.

Nobody would control her life but her.

And since then, no one had.

So, yeah. Drinks with Zane sounded great. Sex with him sounded even better. But it was not going to happen again. Because she could see herself falling for that handsome alpha-male thing again far too easily, and she didn’t want to take any chances.

Resolved, she made her way into the bar—her heart suddenly beating a mile a minute—and searched the sea of patrons for the sexy Brit. Thanks to his size, it didn’t take her long to spot Zane at a table by the wall, sitting with some bearded guy. That must be the “mate.”

Stupidly, her legs started to feel shaky the closer she got to Zane. It was even worse when his attention moved abruptly away from the television and fell on her. His mouth broke into a huge smile—his whole face actually lit up—and she about tripped over her own feet

“Hey, you made it,” he greeted her when she reached their table. He stood and looked like he wanted to lean in and kiss her, but he didn’t.

“Yeah. I decided to show you Brits how we have fun in America.”

“Are you saying my people are dull?” he asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

She shrugged, unable to tamp down the excitement her whole body vibrated with at seeing him up close. “I guess you’ll have to prove you’re not.”

He chuckled, then indicated the man sitting at the table watching them with interest. “Allow me to introduce my friend, Mike Truman. Mike, this is Bea Paxton, the interior designer for our new store. Mike is living in DC to do his doctoral research. He’s actually my boss’s cousin, so we’ve known each other for a while.”