Free The Holly Project by K.A. Sterritt Page B

the same time. Do you really think it’s possible?”
    “I absolutely do.” He kissed me properly on the lips and my legs turned to jelly. “Friday lunch. We’ll have absolute privacy, and we can stay overnight if we choose. No pressure.”
    I just nodded, unable to form words.
    “I’ll see you in the morning.” He kissed me again. The sparks already raging through my body were set alight. I thought I might spontaneously combust.
    “Okay,” I croaked as he pulled back and smiled at me. I stumbled ungracefully backwards, bumping into the door of the cab. Cringing, I composed myself, then opened the door and tried to climb in with poise. Seriously…
    As the cab pulled away, I glanced out the window and gave Ryan a small wave. He held his hand up and smiled. I really liked him.

Chapter Fourteen
    I had lived my life with a dogged determination to succeed as an architect, following in my mother’s footsteps. I had also made a conscious decision to take the opposite road to her when it came to love. Her career led to beautiful buildings and timeless structures. Her death led to a crumbling mess of despair. I could control my career and I could minimise the collateral damage if I suffered the same fate as my mother, and those before her.
    My dad lived with a grief he would never overcome. The only thing that had ever made any real sense to me was to stay emotionally detached from men and to focus on my career instead. It had worked perfectly – until now. Until Ryan. This man, who on paper was a complete disaster for me, was making me feel things I’d never felt before. It was truly frightening because it threatened both paths. Yet I found the lack of control strangely exhilarating.
    I reached for my journal, suddenly compelled to write in it for the first time in almost a decade.
    The words flowed easily and I was struck by how cathartic it was. Emotionally drained, I must have fallen asleep mid-sentence. When I woke, I was shocked to see it was two in the morning. My journal was on the floor and my pen was making an inky mess on my bedspread. Great. I ignored the mess and went back to sleep.

Chapter Fifteen
    The next two days at work passed quickly. I didn’t see a lot of Ryan, but whenever he was in the office, I was fiercely aware of his presence. He drove me to and from work both days. When he dropped me home on Thursday night, he said he’d pick me up at nine the next morning. Other than a kiss on the cheek, he hadn’t made another move to kiss me again. I knew he was giving me time to make a clear decision.
    Sam, the guy from the club, texted me a few times and asked if we could catch up again on Saturday night. I told him I was too busy. It wasn’t a lie – I was flat out trying to work out what the hell I was doing with Ryan Davenport.
    True to his word, Ryan was waiting for me at nine sharp the next morning. When I walked out of my apartment building, I was stopped in my tracks by the sight of him leaning back against his sleek Aston Martin Vantage – my new favourite car. As he stalked towards me, the exhilaration I felt was confronting.
    “Hi,” he said in a soothing voice, despite looking like a predator about to go in for the kill. Suddenly, I felt like a zebra facing off with a lion. I needed to snap out of it. Be the lioness, not the freaking zebra, Holly… you are not his prey!
    “Hi,” I squeaked. Freaking zebra…
    Ryan was a seriously good driver. I enjoyed watching him as he expertly navigated the Sydney traffic. I imagined his brain assessing the combined horse power of the cars ahead to decide which lane to take - I found that sexy. Soon we were pulling up out the front of a luxury apartment building in Rose Bay.
    “This is my parents’ place. I just need to pop up and see Dad quickly before we go. Do you mind?”
    Are you kidding me? I’m not meeting your dad!
    “No, not at all,” I replied.
    The door to the apartment was open when we got there and a male voice called out to us