Free Playing With Pleasure by Erika Wilde Page B

objective.
    Now that he was aware of Ashley’s agenda, he wasn’t about to let her come between him and Paige again.
    He arrived at Paige’s apartment complex in Mission Valley, a middle-class area of San Diego and a far cry from the huge mansion she’d grown up in. From what Sawyer knew, her father had been a wealthy investor, and he was surprised that Paige had moved from one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in the area to a moderate apartment.
    He made his way to her place and knocked on the door. A few moments later, the door swung open, and Paige stood there, wearing a pretty turquoise dress with a too-modest row of buttons fastening the front and a soft, flowing skirt swirling around her calves. A pair of strappy sandals completed the look, and he smiled in appreciation as he raised his gaze back to her face and those peach-hued lips he ached to taste—but were currently off limits.
    “Hi,” he said as he slipped his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.
    “Hey,” she replied softly.
    She smiled back at him, but she looked tired, defeated even, which wasn’t a word he’d ever associate with the stubborn, vibrant Paige he knew. Concern sifted through him. Her gaze lacked its normal radiance, and she was much too subdued compared to the feisty woman he’d dealt with at the club and then again at her store. Something was definitely off, but before he asked, he wanted her in his car and them on the road so backing out of dinner wasn’t a possibility. The discussion they needed to have was much too important, and he was fairly certain if he gave her any excuse to change her mind about tonight, he wouldn’t get another opportunity to get her alone.
    “Ready to go?” he asked.
    She nodded, and with her purse already slung over her shoulder, she stepped outside and locked her door, bringing with her the fresh scent of peaches that made him hungry in more ways than one. He walked with her out to the guest parking area, and with a hand lightly pressed to the base of her spine, he guided her toward the passenger side of his car.
    Her eyes widened as she took in the classic vehicle. “Wow, nice ride.”
    “Thanks.” He opened the door and waited for her to get settled in the newly upholstered leather seat. “You know how it is with boys and their toys. We gotta have them.”
    Once she was buckled in, he headed around to the driver’s side and slid inside. The engine rumbled to life, and he drove back toward the freeway. She was quiet the entire time, and now that there was nowhere for her to escape, he finally addressed her uncharacteristic silence.
    Glancing her way, he took in her beautiful profile and the thick, rich auburn hair she’d worn down. His fingers itched to touch those silky tresses and wrap them around his hands so he could tug on the strands and remind her just how much she’d liked having her hair pulled by him.
    He forced himself to focus on what was important right now. “Everything okay?” he asked her.
    She shrugged. “Just a very stressful afternoon.”
    He didn’t like hearing that and wanted whatever was distracting her off her mind so she could concentrate on them instead. “What happened?”
    She looked at him and hesitated a long beat before she finally decided to open up. “ Ashley happened.”
    Shit. His chest tightened protectively, even before he knew what Paige’s stepsister had done. “Care to elaborate?” He managed to keep his voice even, when he was already pissed off on her behalf.
    A deep sigh unraveled out of her, and she rested her head against the back of the seat. “I went to try on the bridesmaid dress for Melissa’s upcoming wedding earlier today, and it didn’t go well at all. Ashley insisted on picking out a tight-fitting gown based on her small, petite frame and figure. Of course it fit her perfectly, while I looked like a stuffed sausage, to quote Ashley. The dress looked embarrassingly awful on me because of all this,” she said and waved a