Wrong For You (Before You Series Book 3)(5)

“Um, maybe you could wait here while I get an application from my office,” she said, twisting the hem of her navy suit jacket.

“Whatever you want, sweetheart.” He plopped down on the worn red bleachers on the side of the gym. They used to be blue when he came here after school, before school, on the weekends, and any time in between when the doors were unlocked. Funny, all the long-buried memories of his days here were seeping back into the forefront of his mind. With the exception of the hours he spent alone with Taylor, the time he spent at the Foundation was the only good part of his childhood. Regrettably, the bad shit was burned so far into his mind that on most days it swallowed all the happy memories.

She nodded. “It’s not that I don’t trust you. I don’t know you, and it wouldn’t be smart to…” Cringing, her eyes darted to the floor.

He smiled as she stumbled over her words, obviously attempting to make the thoughts in her head sound more benign than they actually were. “I get it. I’m aware of the way I look.”

“No,” she yelled a little too loudly, a frown marring her naturally beautiful face. No makeup needed for Little Violet, not with that flawless skin. “You look good. I mean…fine. There’s nothing wrong with the way you look. I don’t judge people on their appearance. I’m not like that.”

“Maybe you should.” He smirked as his amused gaze traveled the length of her cuter than shit body. He didn’t want her to get the impression that he could be trusted. The world was full of evil. She couldn’t save everyone regardless of how much she tried and something told him she tried often and frequently. Some people didn’t want to be saved. Learning that now would save her a lot of trouble when some asshole crushed all that goodness pouring out of her without remorse.

And then she fucking laughed, her lips curling up into a sultry smile that would have brought a lesser man to his knees. “Are you trying to scare me?”

“Am I succeeding?”

“No. I’ve worked with troubled teens for the last four years. I can see right through you. No need to pretend you’re the big bad wolf,” she said, her wide, innocent eyes soaking him, taking in every last detail.

He shook his head in disbelief. “If you say so.”

“I know so.” She took two steps backwards, still facing him, giving him a wide smile, before turning around and walking to her office. All he could think about was spending a month getting tangled up in her.





Chapter Three





Holy crap. She needed to get her thoughts under control. Alec Reed was bad news. She knew it. He didn’t need to hammer home that point with her. His appearance screamed it loud enough to be heard from a mile away. Black messy hair, way too many dark, disturbing tattoos, a little lip ring highlighting his dangerously sinful lips, and good god, those arms. What the hell did that man do to create those muscles that rippled and bulged with every movement? And she hadn’t even got to his mysterious, heavy-lidded blue eyes practically pleading with her to take a dance on the dark side of hell.

Closing the door to her office, she pushed her hair away from her face. Take a deep breath. Get over it, she instructed herself. Alec didn’t have any interest in her and she certainly couldn’t foster any delusional thoughts about him. Guys like him didn’t go for women like her…and that’s a good thing. The dark and dangerous thing didn’t appeal to her, especially when she had to deal with his type, albeit much younger, on a daily basis. She liked nice, solid, upstanding banker, lawyer types who wanted a calm, predictable life. She was all about predictability, planning, and forethought.

Flinging open her ancient file cabinet, she pulled out a volunteer application. Alec thought he wanted to volunteer at the Foundation, and despite her better judgment, she would take anything he could give. She couldn’t be choosy, not when the Foundation didn’t have any money and even fewer resources.

As she walked out the door of her office, she snatched a pen off her desk, chuckling when she noticed it was her favorite purple pen. She loved purple. With a name like Violet, it was to be expected. As a kid, people made fun of her name. In no uncertain terms, her mother told her to suck it up and embrace it. She did. It became her signature color.

“Mr. Reed,” she called out as she walked back into the gym, her heels clicking rhythmically over the worn hardwood floor. The gym had seen better days just like everything else in the building.

His ear to the phone, Alec shook his head and held up a finger before turning his back to her.

“Yeah, I’ll make it back in time.” His free hand delved into his hair, lightly tugging at the roots. Her fingers wiggled of their own volition, desperately wanting to feel the texture of his thick dark hair. Men shouldn't have hair like that—thick, full of body, shine and pleading to be touched. It wasn’t fair. “Got it. Just fax what I need and I’ll take care of the rest," he barked into the phone.