Deborah Fletcher Mello

To Tempt A Stallion


Скачать книгу

of his button-down shirt. He jotted a phone number on the back then winked his eye at her a second time. “Here’s my number. Please. Call me. I’d love for us to sit down and talk.”

      Rebecca nodded, her face lifting in a sweet smile. “I will do that,” she responded.

      Nathaniel met Jeffrey’s outstretched hand with his own and shook it. “It was good seeing you again, Jeff,” he said politely.

      The two watched as Jeffrey took his leave, sauntering back across the room and through the swinging doors into the employees-only area.

      “Well, that was a surprise,” Rebecca quipped as casually as she could muster.

      Nathaniel sensed her feeling out his mood as she tried to make sense of her own emotions. He nodded. “It’s not often you run into your ex-fiancé. Must have been like old times the way he was so touchy-feely.”

      “It was not like that.”

      “You sure about that, Bec? You looked like you were enjoying his attention.”

      “I did not!”

      “You did, too! And that’s okay if you were. I know how much you loved him. You were ready to throw your whole life away to follow him around the world. The way it ended left a lot unsaid. You may still have some residual feelings for him.”

      Rebecca closed her eyes. Jeffrey Baylor had been so lost in her past that she had never imagined ever having to revisit him or that time period again. He’d arrived as a transfer student at UCLA their junior year. Tall, dark and handsome to the nth degree, he’d captured the attention of every woman on campus and Rebecca had captured his. His pursuit of her had been taken right out of the handbook for a romance novel. He’d said and done all the right things, never amiss with the romantic attention. He’d had her swooning by the third date and before she knew it she’d been his girl. Even then Nathaniel’s teasing her about it had been unmerciful.

      But her best friend and her boyfriend had never meshed, unable to find any common ground. Not even her happiness. The two had butted heads at every turn, like two bulls in a china shop racing for the door. Nathaniel hadn’t trusted the man and had often pointed out flaws she’d chosen to ignore. When her grades slipped, her attention divided, he’d blamed her love life, often admonishing her to get back on track.

      Jeffrey had graduated the year before she and Nathaniel did, with plans to head to France for a culinary career. When he’d shown up on her doorstep begging her to join him, she had wanted to say yes. When Nathaniel found out, enumerating every reason why that was a bad idea, doubt had set in. Although the two had never discussed it, the words never said out loud, she and Jeffrey had known that if she’d been made to choose one over the other, Nathaniel would have always won. He’d known and he had hated it and despised Nathaniel for it. But Nathaniel owned her heart, Jeffrey had only occupied a very small piece of it. She could have loved Jeffrey but she would have always been in love with Nathaniel. It had been the difference between her leaving and her final decision to stay. And Nathaniel didn’t have a clue.

      She opened her eyes to stare at her friend. “You really don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, Nate.”

      “I know what I see, Bec.”

      “Do you really? I swear, you are such a jerk sometimes!” she hissed between clenched teeth. She stood up abruptly.

      “Where are you going?”

      “Back to my hotel room.”

      “I thought you wanted to go walk on the beach?”

      “You just ruined the mood!” she said and with a dismissive flick of her hand and a twirl on her high heels she stomped toward the door and out of the restaurant.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4QAYRXhpZgAASUkqAAgAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/sABFEdWNreQABAAQAAABQAAD/4QN1aHR0cDov L25zLmFkb2JlLmNvbS94YXAvMS4wLwA8P3hwYWNrZXQgYmVnaW49Iu+7vyIgaWQ9Ilc1TTBNcENl aGlIenJlU3pOVGN6a2M5ZCI/PiA8eDp4bXBtZXRhIHhtbG5zOng9ImFkb2JlOm5zOm1ldGEvIiB4 OnhtcHRrPSJBZG9iZSBYTVAgQ29yZSA1LjAtYzA2MSA2NC4xNDA5NDksIDIwMTAvMTIvMDctMTA6 NTc6MDEgICAgICAgICI+IDxyZGY6UkRGIHhtbG5zOnJkZj0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMTk5 OS8wMi8yMi1yZGYtc3ludGF4LW5zIyI+IDxyZGY6RGVzY3JpcHRpb24gcmRmOmFib3V0PSIiIHht bG5zOnhtcE1NPSJodHRwOi8vbnMuYWRvYmUuY29tL3hhcC8xLjAvbW0vIiB4bWxuczpzdFJlZj0i aHR0cDovL25zLmFkb2JlLmNvbS94YXAvMS4wL3NUeXBlL1Jlc291cmNlUmVmIyIgeG1sbnM6eG1w PSJodHRwOi8vbnMuYWRvYmUuY29tL3hhcC8xLjAvIiB4bXBNTTpPcmlnaW5hbERvY3VtZW50SUQ9 InhtcC5kaWQ6NWRmNGUxZTAtMzZmMy00ZDBlLTljMTQtYTIzODUxMjNmOWFiIiB4bXBNTTpEb2N1 bWVudElEPSJ4bXAuZGlkOjM0RkMzNzlGQjU3MzExRUFBM0JFREIwOTEyNzJEOTkxIiB4bXBNTTpJ bnN0YW5jZUlEPSJ4bXAuaWlkOjM0RkMzNzlFQjU3MzExRUFBM0JFREIwOTEyNzJEOTkxIiB4bXA6 Q3JlYXRvclRvb2w9IkFkb2JlIFBob3Rvc2hvcCBDUzUuMSBNYWNpbnRvc2giPiA8eG1wTU06RGVy aXZlZEZyb20gc3RSZWY6aW5zdGFuY2VJRD0ieG1wLmlpZDo5MEVFNDQwREJDMjA2ODExODcxRjlE RDhDMzAwMzg1RiIgc3RSZWY6ZG9jdW1lbnRJRD0ieG1wLmRpZDpFOThFN0RGQ0JCMjA2ODExODcx RjlERDhDMzAwMzg1RiIvPiA8L3JkZjpEZXNjcmlwdGlvbj4gPC9yZGY6UkRGPiA8L3g6eG1wbWV0 YT4gPD94cGFja2V0IGVuZD0iciI/Pv/iDFhJQ0NfUFJPRklMRQABAQAADEhMaW5vAhAAAG1udHJS R0IgWFlaIAfOAAIACQAGADEAAGFjc3BNU0ZUAAAAAElFQyBzUkdCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAAD21gAB AAAAANMtSFAgIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA EWNwcnQAAAFQAAAAM2Rlc2MAAAGEAAAAbHd0cHQAAAHwAAAAFGJrcHQAAAIEAAAAFHJYWVoAAAIY AAAAFGdYWVoAAAIsAAAAFGJYWVoAAAJAAAAAFGRtbmQAAAJUAAAAcGRtZGQAAALEAAAAiHZ1ZWQA AANMAAAAhnZpZXcAAAPUAAAAJGx1bWkAAAP4AAAAFG1lYXMAAAQMAAAAJHRlY2gAAAQwAAAADHJU UkMAAAQ8AAAIDGdUUkMAAAQ8AAAIDGJUUkMAAAQ8AAAIDHRleHQAAAAAQ29weXJpZ2h0IChjKSAx OTk4IEhld2xldHQtUGFja2FyZCBDb21wYW55AABkZXNjAAAAAAAAABJzUkdCIElFQzYxOTY2LTIu MQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEnNSR0IgSUVDNjE5NjYtMi4xAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABYWVogAAAAAAAA81EAAQAAAAEWzFhZWiAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAWFlaIAAAAAAAAG+iAAA49QAAA5BYWVogAAAAAAAAYpkAALeFAAAY2lhZWiAAAAAAAAAk oAAAD4QAALbPZGVzYwAAAAAAAAAWSUVDIGh0dHA6Ly93d3cuaWVjLmNoAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWSUVD IGh0dHA6Ly93d3cuaWVjLmNoAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAGRlc2MAAAAAAAAALklFQyA2MTk2Ni0yLjEgRGVmYXVsdCBSR0IgY29sb3VyIHNwYWNl IC0gc1JHQgAAAAAAAAAAAAAALklFQyA2MTk2Ni0yLjEgRGVmYXVsdCBSR0IgY29sb3VyIHNwYWNl IC0gc1JHQgAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA