Seduce Me (Austin Singles 1)

Facing him, I smiled. “You have?”

The way his face lit up had the butterflies taking flight in my stomach.

“I wanted to make sure you didn’t have work or anything first before I told you about my plans.”

The desire to tell him he came before my job was strong, but I kept it to myself. “No, and if anything comes up, I can always handle it over the phone.”

The way his mouth turned up into the most beautiful smile made my breath catch.

He leaned down to whisper in my ear, causing goosebumps to form in anticipation of his mouth so close to my body and to the revelation of the plans he’d made for us. “Good. I made plans to go to the lake house, just you and me.”

His smile was brilliant as he beamed at me with happiness. I returned the smile, thinking about how exciting it would be to go back to where we had first made love.

Jesus, Tucker was so goddamn handsome and it made me wonder how he had managed to not settle down before now. I was glad, of course, but I still felt the urge to pinch my arm to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

We’re dating … actually dating.

Guilt ripped through me, making me sway a little as a wave of sickness rolled through me.

This all started with a lie. A plan to seduce him back into my life and then get him to marry me before the deadline all to save my position within the company.

I covered my mouth and turned away.

“Charlie? Are you okay?” Tucker asked me.

Shaking my head, I rushed to the ladies’ restroom. Once inside, I ran to a stall, opened it, and threw up my breakfast.

Tears streamed down my face as the reality of what I was capable of and what I had done had set in.

I lied to Tucker. I loved this man and I was lying to him.

The knock on the stall door startled me.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“I … I must have ate something that didn’t agree with me.”

“Do you need anything?”

The concern in Tucker’s voice nearly made me blurt out my confession right then and there.

“N-no … just a few moments.”

“Charlie?”

Placing my hand over my mouth, I silently cried harder. Over the years, Tucker and I had said some pretty mean and hateful things to each other, but I never meant a word and I knew he hadn’t either. I wanted—no, needed—this weekend more than anything to make up for what I had done to him in the past and what I’d almost done to him now.

“Baby, are you sure you’re okay? Let me get you a warm cloth to wipe your face.”

Tears fell harder as I forced myself to speak.

“Th-thank … y-you.”

I listened to him walk toward the door and leave. Standing, I rushed out of the stall and to a sink. I cupped my hands and rinsed my mouth out at least ten times before he came back into the restroom.

“Here, take this.”

With shaking hands, I took the cloth and placed it over my face. My makeup was already ruined, so this would only be an improvement.