Leverage (Part II)(14)
“Let me be the judge of that. I’ve got a pretty solid shoulder and I’m offering it to you, free of charge.” He winked and she laughed ruefully. “C’mon, we all have skeletons dancing in our closets. Nothing you could say would shock me and I want to help.”
He held her uncertain gaze, wishing he could smooth away those subtle worry lines in her forehead and chase away her sadness, but he also knew he was taking a huge risk. Either he would get screwed and tattooed or he’d come out with the prize.
There was only one way to find out.
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Julianna shouldn’t tell Miles about her situation but she was desperate to talk to someone and Miles was being so sweet and kind. And damn her hormones, she really needed someone because Boston certainly wasn’t around for her to yell at for being an overbearing jerk. But Miles is really cute, a voice warned. And you’re starting to look at him like a perfectly grilled steak. And that was bad. “I shouldn’t…but…I’m in a peculiar predicament,” she started, unsure of how much she should share. “You see, the father of my baby is…” probably hiring a private eye to hunt me down “is very controlling. And I’m not sure he’s the best person to be a father so I split and didn’t tell him where I went.”
“Oh, I see. Was he abusive?” Miles’ concerned tone sent warm shivers dancing down Julianna’s backside but she wouldn’t lie about Boston like that and shook her head. Miles didn’t seem convinced but allowed her to continue.
“At first Boston — that’s his name — was really bossy but then he started to change and he was actually kind of sweet until I found out I was pregnant. Then he freaked out on me and then I freaked out on him and split. And that’s where it stands.” Except for the part where Boston actually owned her in a sense and he held the power to destroy her disabled brother if she didn’t go back to him. Julianna didn’t see the sense in sharing that part of the story. She also didn’t want to think of the possibility that Boston wasn’t mad, but actually worried about her. Was that even a possibility? Boston was anything but tender-hearted. Except at certain moments, a voice whispered, reminding her of how reverently Boston had touched her, how gentle his hands could be as he’d coaxed her body into yielding to the most mind-shattering orgasms. Her cheeks heated and she glanced away, hating that her thoughts of Boston always seemed to gravitate to the carnal. So he was a great lover, he was still a jerk. Orgasms — no matter how great — did not make up for a terrible personality.
“So, it sounds as if you two need to have a conversation and hash things out,” Miles said with obvious regret. “I mean, if he’s not a bad guy and this all stems from a heated argument…maybe you ought to give him a chance to make it right.”
“Not possible,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m not ready to see him again and if you knew Boston, you’d know that he’s incapable of apologizing. It’s just not in his wheelhouse.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to play matchmaker, but you’d be surprised what men will do to win back the woman they love.”
At that Julianna barked a short laugh edged with misery. “Boston doesn’t love me. I know that for a fact. I made a huge mistake hooking up with him for what I thought were good reasons but I ended up getting burned in the process. Boston loves one person — himself — which is why he doesn’t need to be a part of my baby’s life. I don’t want him to contaminate this little life I have growing inside me.”
“Well, it’s your choice and you know best. You’re a smart woman. You’ll get it figured out.” Miles stood and gathered his and her trash and took it to the recycle bin before returning to say with a fresh smile, “In the meantime, consider me your official island buddy. I’ll show you around, tip you off to the best places to pick up local fare without getting ripped off and I promise to make sure you get plenty of Vitamin D in the form of quality spent at the best beaches in the Caribbean.”#p#分页标题#e#
Her gaze lit up with delight at his offer and she grinned. “Are you sure? I’m hormonal, bloated, and bound to throw up at any given moment. That’s not exactly an endorsement for a good buddy on your end.”
“I’m a doctor. Nothing phazes me. Besides,” he admitted with a slow grin that melted her insides in a way that made her momentarily forget about Boston, “My offer is not entirely altruistic…I confess, I’m thinking of you in a bikini…in a not-so-doctorly-way and even if I can’t touch…I will definitely enjoy looking.”