This was Jess and Theo’s dream.
The livelihoods of the entire team were reliant on us pulling our weight just as much as they did.
The library had investors now too. And although they were Theo’s friends, they were still businessmen who were eager to see a return.
I had to think with the head on my shoulders, not the one in my pants, and do the job Theo had trusted me to do.
‘Forgive me,’ I said. ‘You’re absolutely right. We need to focus on making these projects a success. I’m sorry for making inappropriate comments. I’ll be on my best behaviour from now on, I promise.’
I hope my sincerity came across, because I really meant it.
All those years I’d spent partying and sleeping around had affected my judgement. It was like the sensible switch had just gone off in my head and now I saw everything so clearly again.
I was back in England, to work. I had to take this seriously.
And what was I thinking?
Getting involved with a colleague was a bad idea anyway. It hadmessyanddisasterwritten all over it.
Like Theo said, I needed to be careful with Sarah. And anyone else that was associated with the library.
If I needed to blow off steam, there were millions of other women I could shag. Dipping my dick into one of the locals was a bad idea.
That’s settled.
Right there and then, I decided that all women in Sunshine Bay would be strictly off limits.
Zero exceptions.
5
SARAH
‘Let’s get cracking on the brainstorming, shall we?’ Ben said. ‘But first, I’ll get us some coffee and snacks. Deal?’
‘Okay,’ I said.
Ben nodded, got up, then left.
I blew out a giant sigh of relief.
Coffee was actually a good idea. That would give me at least ten minutes to gather my thoughts.
Ever since I’d seen Ben again in the hallway when I was chatting to Jane and Jackson, my brain hadn’t felt like it was functioning properly.
First it was scrambled by how he good he smelt, then when Jess was briefing us on important work stuff, which was what I was here for, my eyes kept being drawn to those ridiculously sexy forearms, then his lashes and dimple. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I liked his cocky swagger. And don’t even get me started on how firm and muscular his chest felt when I prodded it with my finger.
Gah.
What the hell was wrong with me? The man was a certified twat.
And I couldn’t keep getting drawn to smooth-talking tosspots. My ex had the gift of the gab, and falling for his charms had got me a one-way ticket to Heartbreak City.
Yeah, Ben was obviously hot, but he was also a walking red flag.
Some people got the ick about men who wore tight trousers or picked their nose. But the ultimate ick as far as I was concerned was anyone who disrespected romance novels. I didn’t expect everyone to read them, but I thought it was wrong to insult a genre just because it wasn’t your own cup of tea.
There was no way I could get past that. Not even for a one-night stand. No matter how much inspiration it might give me for my book.
