Hot Nights 2 Seducing the Playboy Amanda Usen

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getting rid of the empty mousse containers. The faster he got her back into bed, the faster the last
vestige of the panic he d felt when he woke up without her would disappear. He grabbed her toolbox
with one hand and pulled her out the kitchen door with the other. They popped out of the corridor and
into the busy casino. Lights flashed. Cigarette smoke and noise surrounded them.
A cheer broke out as someone hit the jackpot. He squeezed her hand, feeling like he d hit the
jackpot, too. There was only one thing that could make this better, and wasn t it convenient that she
already had a ring on her finger? He couldn t wait another minute to tell her how he felt about her.
Hang on I m feeling lucky. He stopped in front of a roulette table and dug in his pocket, then
handed a fat stack of bills to the croupier. On black. All of it.
He turned to Jenna. And if I win. You marry me for real tonight. I don t want it to be a
fantasy.
&
Oh my God.
Jenna felt faint as the wheel spun. Her mouth opened, but no sound emerged, and her heart beat as
erratically as the bouncing ball.
Yes. No. Yes. No. Slowing, slower& stopped.
On black.
Roman whooped and spun her in a circle. Even money, baby. What do you say?
Her heart ached. He was wrong. It could only be a fantasy. A really good one, but if she allowed
herself to continue pretending what they had was real, it would ruin both of their lives.
Roman& I can t marry you.
His face fell, excitement extinguished. I know I m not the kind of guy you imagined yourself ending
up with, but we re dynamite together. Give me a chance. We saved the Beach House, and there are a
lot of other restaurants out there waiting for us to figure out the perfect solutions for them, too. We ll
do Cooper s first, but that s just one small business in a big, wide world. I know it sounds crazy, and
there are a lot of things we need to figure out, but the main thing is we could do it together. I love you,
Jenna, and I want a lifetime with you.
I can t do this, Roman. But oh God, it was tempting.
Why not? What s the problem? We re magic together. In fact, I think we re pretty goddamn
perfect. He pulled her closer, as if he intended to prove it, but she put her hands on his chest, holding
him off.
I think you re perfect, Ro. I always have, and the sixteen-year-old girl trapped inside me wants to
kill me for saying no to a life with you. It s kind of like saying no to Brad Pitt or Channing Tatum, but
I just can t do it. She broke away and headed for the elevator, hoping to make it back to the room
before she had to explain any further. She didn t want to have this discussion in the middle of the
casino or worse, in an elevator, but Roman looked determined as he followed her, stuffing chips into
his pocket.
As the elevator opened, she stepped to the back and several people got in after her, forcing Roman
to stay near the front. She would have seventeen floors to think, if she was lucky.
The doors opened, and everyone but Roman got off on the third floor.
So much for luck.
Tell me why, he demanded.
It wasn t going to be pretty, but he deserved the truth. Because I love you, but I ve been miserable
since we got here, and this is your world. Bright lights. Beautiful people. Huge kitchens. I like small
towns and small kitchens, like the one at the Beach House.
Then we ll go back there. We ll stay there.
You can t. When your mother retires, you are going to be in charge of over a dozen restaurants up
and down the West Coast. I bet some of them are even bigger than the one here at the Castle.
He flushed, and she knew she was right. I don t want to build a life with a man who is going to be
working even more than I am. You hit the nail on the head when you asked me if I want what my
parents have. The answer is yes, and I can t have it with you unless you give up everything you ve
ever wanted and come back to Lambertville with me& and stay there.
He looked like she d just clocked him with a baseball bat.
Exactly, she said. I d never ask you to do that. You wouldn t be the man you are if you were
willing to do that, and you re a good man. I called you a momma s boy, but that wasn t fair. You
aren t under her thumb. You stand by her side, and when she retires, you ll take the lead. She s
counting on you.
He froze, an arrested expression in his eyes, and she cupped his cheek, feathering her thumb over
his lips. I came to California to figure out how to fix Cooper s, but the restaurant and my family have
been the furthest things from my mind. All I ve thought about is you. Nobody thinks I can reinvent
Cooper s because I have a habit of losing my way. I dig myself deeper and deeper into trouble
What are you talking about? he broke in. You have amazing ideas, your desserts are awesome,
and you never run out of energy and enthusiasm.
Her heart warmed, but she d learned her passion wasn t always a positive thing. Yeah, well, I
came out here to pick your brain and ended up begging you to have sex with me, talking you into
changing your menu, and practically forcing you to take a risk on the croquembouches. When I commit
myself to something, I give it every bit of my heart and soul for example, pretending to be engaged
in order to get some publicity. If you d asked me to marry you an hour ago, we d be standing in front
of Elvis right now, and I never would have come up with a plan to save Cooper s. But I did. I finally
came to my senses, and I know what I need to do.
The elevator doors opened, and they got off on their floor. Roman said nothing as they walked to
the room. He slipped his key card into the lock and held the door open. Tell me.
She took a deep breath. I m going to make Cooper s a home away from home for everyone who
comes to dinner. We ll be open on holidays, and my family will eat there with the customers. We ll
have a playroom for kids alongside the dining room, so parents can eat without having to make their
kids behave. Service will be family style. Comfort food. Fun veggie dishes even picky kids will like.
It will be the kind of place where people will come to relax, knowing they ll be greeted with a smile,
even when they are holding a screaming baby or scolding a pouting tween. I think we ll make our
motto Come Home to Cooper s.
Roman caught her hand. Let s do it together, Jenna. Let me help you. My mother isn t retiring yet,
and I don t have another project lined up after the Beach House.
She shook her head. I need to do this alone. My parents think I can t do it, and I want to prove
them wrong. I don t want your money or influence to be the deciding factor. I want them to have faith
in me. Every minute she spent with him eroded her resolve. She glanced around the room and
realized there was nothing to pack except a few clothes on the bathroom floor.
So that s it? You re bailing on me? What about the dinner tomorrow night?
You don t need me anymore. You know as much about the dessert as I do and way more about
how to plate it for two hundred. The only sticky part will be the sugar, but I packed newspapers. She [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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