My Daring Seduction. Isabel Sharpe

her say it out loud. Maybe men thought acting as though they knew you better than you did was sexy. She had to mark it down as one of the most irritating characteristics they possessed.

      “Because…” Her mind failed. She couldn’t come up with a single reason, especially not with him sitting in her living room with his pants undone, firm skin showing at his abdomen, a slight flush to his cheeks, eyes intently dark, handsome and so damn noble. “It’s not what I want.”

      “Ah. Okay, then.” He got up abruptly and the force of the pain squeezing into her chest startled her. “It is what I want so until one of us changes his or her mind I guess this isn’t going to happen, huh.”

      His tone was offhand, but his look said he was asking her a question, not making a statement.

      “Right.” She nodded, wishing he’d leave so she could throw herself onto her bed and let this new troubling misery have its way with her. What had she done here? What had she unleashed? She should have followed her instincts and refused to take a dare. Everything was going so well before this…

      Still she couldn’t have gone back on the dare without undermining the organization that had done so much not only to empower its members but for her as well. How else could she have met and become friendly with so many strong, interesting women? Her acquaintances prior to this had been pretty unappealing. Now she felt part of a community that had more on its mind than sex, drugs and rebellion.

      More importantly, how else could she have gracefully and anonymously made contact with her half sisters? One invitation sent out to each of them last September had been the perfect way to introduce them to her, though only Katie took her up on joining at first. Bottom line, she’d had no choice but to accept the dare. Now she was paying a price. Another one.

      Denver put his pants back together, drained the rest of his drink and took the glass and hers into the kitchen like the good bar manager he was.

      At the door he turned, gaze probing again, asking her the question that must be going through his head. What the hell had happened to make her suddenly act the way she did? Was she that disturbed? “Good night. See you tomorrow.”

      “Tomorrow.” Lindsay nodded and managed a smile. “Good night.”

      She closed the door after him. Maybe he’d give up now. Maybe he’d decide she was some kind of lunatic and give up and leave her alone.

      The thought sucked her into a whirlpool of loneliness and fear. What would her life be without Denver’s constant support and concern? The support and concern she regularly stepped on and rejected and only now realized how much she relied on?

      She leaned back against the door and closed her eyes.

      And what the hell was she going to do about the dare?