Free Second Chances by Delaney Diamond Page A

with so much money at stake,
I have no choice but to order you around because it’s obvious you want
to make this difficult.” He looked around her room with its simple furnishings.
“I would think you’d be happy to leave this place and return to the lifestyle
you’ve grown used to over the past year.”
    She bristled at his not-too-subtle insult. “It
may not be up to your standards, but it’s mine,” she responded, lifting her
chin.
    Renaldo’s roaming gaze came to rest on the
dresser. He walked over to it and picked up a photo frame. It contained a picture
of the two of them on their wedding day, standing on the beach with Jewel and Renaldo’s
family and friends. She’d been so happy that day.
    Her breath caught when he placed it face down
on the dresser.
    “I’m tired of playing nice.”
    “You call this nice? You had me terminated from
my job after you promised Jonas first dibs at Estação Central—or whatever the
hell you promised him—and then you bring me here to force me to move before I’m
ready. You’re so nice.”
    “Jonas no longer needed your services. And,
yes, with what I’m paying you, I find myself to be considerably morethan
nice, since if it weren’t for this project, you’d get nothing. And as for
moving, you should be thankful I’ve made the arrangements so you don’t have
to.”
    “You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?”
    “I’d like to think so, but I’m not always so
prepared. There have been times when I’ve been completely blindsided. You blindsided me. But never again. Where you’re concerned, I plan to make sure I’m
always prepared.”
    “This situation is impossible. How can we live
together with this much animosity between us? We’re not even being civil to
each other.” 
    “I am being civil.”
    She stopped breathing as he came
forward, stopping in front of her, forcing her to tip her head back to maintain
eye contact. His closeness made her want to touch the hard contours of his
face—the lean jaw, the strong chin.
    It took so much energy to fight him. And
every time she was near him, she became so damn weak.
    “But that’s not what you want, is it?”
he said. “You want to pretend that what you did never happened.”
    “That’s not true. I understand what I
did changes everything, but you won’t accept my explanation. You won’t let me
make things right.”
    “And would you offer me the same if the
roles were reversed?”
    “I think I would. I love you. I think
I’d at least try—give you a chance to—I wouldn’t just toss you out like you
were nothing . I—” She stopped and swallowed. She was too emotional and
her words were coming out all jumbled. “What’s the point? You think I’m vile.
You can’t stand me—can’t even stand to look at me.” She couldn’t forget the
harsh words he’d thrown at her.
    He was silent for a moment, watching her
with an intensity that made her squirm internally.
    “Maybe I’ve changed my mind,” he finally
said, slowly. He lifted one of her curls and rubbed it between his fingers.
“Maybe this animosity between us is based on something else.”
    Sabrina swallowed past the constriction
of her throat. She understood what he was saying as the air became charged with
an undercurrent of sexual tension. He watched her with an open hunger that
hadn’t been visible moments ago.
    “We’ve always had a hard time keeping
our hands off each other. Maybe we shouldn’t deprive ourselves and just do what
comes naturally.”
    Sabrina stepped back, using distance to
keep from getting sucked into the enticing words. “So you want to use me to get
off and then toss me aside when this is over? I don’t think so.”
    “I can change your mind.”
    “You can’t.”
    “Oh, I think I can.” His confidence
irked her. “The way you responded to me the other day. It may have started as a
seduction to get more money, but you wanted me as much as I wanted you. And why
shouldn’t I get what you gave