Your Irresistible Love (The Bennett Family 1)

“I didn’t want to offend you with the ruby that night,” Sebastian says. “I honestly wanted you to have it because you were so taken with it when you saw it. I wasn’t expecting anything in return.”

“I figured that out. You shouldn’t hand out rubies like that, Sebastian. People might take advantage of you.”

He smiles sadly. “Most do.”

“Then stop doing it. You don’t need to shower a woman with gifts to get her to date you. Or if you have to, she’s not worth it.”

“I want you. I can make these the best four damned months of our lives, Ava. In bed and outside it.” Inching closer to me, he cups my right cheek in one hand. My face flames at his caress, and I suck in a breath when the fingers of his other hand trace my collarbone. The heat in his eyes mirrors the promise in his voice, prompting a frisson of need low in my abdomen. There goes my breath again. “But you said you need time, so I’ll give it to you.”

“Thank you.”

I observe longingly the people jogging on the shore. I really should start running again. It’s a routine I’ve formed in the past year, go to bed early, wake up early, and go for an hour-long run before work. All I’ve done since arriving is eat and drool at the thought of this impossibly sexy man.

“How often do you come here?” I ask him.

“You want the truth?”

“Yep.”

“The last time I went to the beach was when my youngest sister graduat

ed high school. They threw a beach party; she got drunk and called me to take her home. That was a few years ago.”

“Why come now?”

He comes to a stop, watching me closely. “You make me miss things I didn’t even know I missed.”

“Like what?”

“Jogging on the beach.”

I gasp. “How do you know I was thinking about that?”

“I can read your mind,” he says cockily. From the way his eyes linger on my lips, my drooling and daydreaming did not go unnoticed. To make matters worse, I catch myself biting at my lip. That’s the effect this man has on me.

“I’m in big trouble.”

“You are, and because I want to add more trouble to that, I’ll tell you what I was thinking about.” His eyebrows arch slightly as he focuses his green eyes on me.

“I’m listening.” My voice comes out a breathy mess.

“You and me, panting and sweating. . .” He says nothing more, instead leaning his muscular torso down to me. Two can play at this game. I’m going to make him say it.

“What would we be doing that brings us to that state?”

He wiggles his eyebrows. “Jogging together.”

The surprise of his words brings on a hysterical round of laughter.

“Why, you were thinking about something else?” Sebastian’s laughing too.

“I thought you said you could read my mind.” I force myself to breathe deeply to calm down.

“You have a very dirty mind. I know the perfect beach for jogging.” His stance is laid-back, but his tone is challenging.

I take the bait. “Fine, let’s go on Saturday.”

A look of immense satisfaction crosses his feature as he says, “It’s a date.”