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Lie With Me Prologue | page 1 | page 2 | page 3 | excerpts
Roman stared at the door after it swung shut. Philly Angelis had thrown him for a loop, and he still couldn’t gather his thoughts. For two days, he hadn’t been able to rid his mind of the memory of what had nearly happened right in this room. He’d almost kissed her, and if he had, he wouldn’t have stopped there. He never went into a business meeting unprepared. But he hadn’t been prepared for her today. If he had been, he would have handled the situation better. He wasn’t even clear on what he’d said to her. The words he’d spoken had been nothing but babbling in his ears because he’d had to focus all his energy on staying still—when with every fiber of his being he’d wanted to go to her, take her into his arms, and act on the proposition she’d just made him. How many times had he imagined having her beneath him, plunging into her again and again? Now, he’d hurt her—the last thing he wanted. But it was for her own good and for his. Roman raised his hands, intending to run them through his hair. When he saw they were shaking, he dropped them back down on the blanket. Something akin to fear moved through him. No other woman had ever affected him this way. For years, he’d been lusting after Philly Angelis—ever since she was sixteen. He’d taught himself to live with the steady thrum of desire he felt whenever he was near her. For years, he’d been able to control it by telling himself that she was too young for him. But since she’d returned from college a year ago, all of his discipline and control had been slipping away. Whenever he was near her, desire escalated into a raging need that bordered on pain. There’d been an incident at the Angelis’s family restaurant, The Poseidon, when he was sure Kit had caught him watching Philly. Roman had seen something in Kit’s eyes. A question? A warning? But then Theo and Nik had joined them, and Kit had said nothing. But Roman didn’t need a warning from Kit. For Philly’s sake, he could never act on his attraction to her. The Angelises were family to him. Kit and Nik and Theo, were the brothers he’d never had. Becoming sexually involved with Philly was out of the question. Her father Spiro, a man Roman looked on as a second father, was an old fashioned Greek. He’d expect commitment. Marriage. Hell, Philly would expect it. And deserve it. And Roman had long ago decided that marriage was not on his agenda. Oliver Enterprises would always be his first priority. Ever since he was a boy, he’d dreamed of running the company his father had created. But there was a price to pay. A wife and family would always suffer from neglect. He’d experienced that personally and so had his sisters. After their mother’s death, his father had buried himself in the business. While they’d been growing up, Roman had spent more time with his younger sisters than his father ever had. Mario Oliver was now on wife number three, and she was constantly complaining that she saw nothing of him. I’m very attracted to you and I want to make love with you. He’d done the right thing, the only thing he could do. Whatever hurt she’d experienced today would pale in comparison to the way he’d hurt her if he’d acted on his feelings. She’d keep her distance now. He’d stay away from her family’s restaurant, The Poseidon, and gradually the feelings would fade. They had to. He glanced down at the business papers he’d been reading, but it was a long time before he could focus. (continued...) |
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