Free Taking What's His (Entangled Brazen) by Diane Alberts

be fine.”
    “For the love of—” He broke off, rubbing his throbbing temple. “Jesus, Lydia. Do you have to fight every damn thing I say so fucking hard? I’m just trying to be a good guy, which is nothing less than I should do after what we did. I’ve made enough mistakes already where you’re concerned.”
    She pressed her lips together and gripped the door handle. “Last night was nothing. People have one-night stands all the time. Especially you .”
    With that, she opened the door, hopped down, and stormed off for the entrance. A headache was building behind his forehead, and he knew D-Day grew closer. Soon, he’d be in bed, incapacitated and useless. “Son of a fucking bitch,” he mumbled under his breath, opening his own door and going after her. “Wait just a second.”
    “No,” she called over her shoulder. “Go home , Holt.”
    He hurried his steps and easily caught up with her right outside her door. Reaching out, he grabbed her elbow. “Who told you that I had lots of one night stands? Steven?”
    “You said it last night, several times. And even if you hadn’t, you wouldn’t need to.” She gestured toward him. “You’ve got the whole thing down to a science.”
    “And what the hell is that supposed to mean?”
    “You know exactly what it means,” she snapped, pulling free. “You bring girls home with you all the time, tell them how it’s one night only, and not to get attached. And I’m just another one of them, so stop making me into this horrible thing you did wrong in your life, and making me feel even worse than I already do.”
    “Lydia, I—”
    She held her hands up. “Look, I get it, okay? You regret touching me, and you don’t want to ever see me again. I was a mistake. A huge one. So move on, forget all about me, and go home. We don’t have to ever set eyes on one another again.”
    “Wait, I didn’t say that.” He shook his head, struggling to answer her. “It’s just…I…fuck.” Damn it, the words wouldn’t come .
    “Yeah, you did. I think you said it at least a million times, in a million different ways.” She opened the door and walked inside. “Goodbye, Holt. It’s been real. You’ll never have to see me again, or remember the night you stooped so low that you actually screwed a girl like me.”
    He should let her walk away. He should leave with empty hands and an even emptier heart. But he couldn’t. Not with her. Not now. He wasn’t supposed to want her, wasn’t supposed to go after her, but damn it, he did want her. He really fucking did.
    What was even worse than the fact that he should be resisting temptation—and wasn’t —was the fact that she wasn’t even giving him a chance to form a reply.
    And that pissed him off even more than his slow brain, or his inability to keep his hands to his fucking self. He followed her inside, his blood pumping. He didn’t bother with trying to put his thoughts into words. Not this time. Instead, he caught her, tossed her up against the wall, growled…and kissed her.
    And, God help her, she kissed him back.

Chapter Eight
    Lydia collapsed against the hard wall, clinging to his even harder chest. She didn’t know what the heck was going on in his brain right now, but she knew one thing. All she’d been able to think about since last night had been kissing him. If he wanted to do it again, right here in her hallway, then so be it.
    She’d kiss him back.
    He pressed closer and ran his hands over her body, squeezing her breasts and rolling his thumbs over her nipples. She moaned into his mouth, needing more. Needing him. He broke the kiss off, resting his forehead on hers and letting out a shattered breath. “Jesus, Lyd. You have no idea how fucking hard it is for me not to take you right here. Right now.”
    She moaned. “Then do it. What’s stopping you?”
    “Nothing. Everything.” He nipped at the sensitive skin over her pulse, and then kissed away the sting. At the same time, he slipped his hand