Free Ready to Fall by Olivia Dade Page B

hours?”
    â€œWell, hello to you too, Mr. Crankypants.” She flashed a smile his way, though he noticed she never quite made eye contact. Moving to the back of her SUV, she popped the rear gate. “During my shift at the library today, I asked my boss about that. According to Angie, the local police will be too busy overseeing the local fireworks display and dealing with drunk drivers to worry about a couple of idiots riding bikes in a library parking lot. Even if one of them is lying in a bloody sprawl on the pavement, crying for her daddy.”
    He couldn’t help a small laugh. God, he loved her theatrics. To the point where he could barely resist kissing that tempting, smart mouth of hers again.
    But in two days, she might very well be kissing her fucking coworker. Goddamn Ulysses.
    His amusement died at the thought, and he strode without comment to the back of her SUV. He hauled the bike out of the cargo area and stood it next to the car.
    â€œYou ready?” he asked.
    Her brows drew together at his brusque tone. “Are you okay?”
    â€œFor five hundred dollars, I’m more than okay.” He huffed out an impatient breath. “I’m great. So I’ll ask again. Are you ready?”
    â€œChris . . .” She trailed off, eyeing him carefully. “Did I do something to offend you? If so, I’m sorry.”
    Shit . He needed to keep her at a distance, but he didn’t want to hurt her feelings either.
    â€œIf you’d rather not do this, it’s okay.” Her small, sneaker-clad foot kicked at a pebble in the lot. “I sometimes . . . push people. Wear them out. I know you don’t want to spend your Fourth of July teaching a woman with no sense of balance how to ride a bike. And maybe you’re uncomfortable about what happened last night. So if you’d rather end this now, I’ll still pay you some of the money for what you’ve already done.”
    Part of him wanted to jump at that offer. He could leave here right now and not have to struggle with the temptation Sarah embodied. Not have to imagine her making another man dizzy with longing. Not have to see her ever again, as a matter of fact.
    Then he took a good look at her. Her blue-gray eyes, which usually met his with such brash confidence, were glued at the ground. Her wide mouth was pinched into a frown. She’d wrapped her arms around herself.
    He could see it again. The vulnerability she hid beneath humor, exaggeration, and determination. The same vulnerability he’d seen when she’d panicked in his shop and after their kiss last night.
    She deserves love , he told himself. She’s shelling out five hundred dollars and putting up with a cranky bastard like me so she can go to that retreat and try to find a good man. And here I am, making her life harder. Upsetting her, when she’s done nothing wrong.
    It’s not her fault I’m drawn to her. She hasn’t somehow betrayed me. She told me from the beginning that she wanted someone else. Suck it up, man, and do the right thing.
    He reached out a hand and laid it on her arm. “Sarah?”
    She looked up, her expression wary.
    â€œI’m sorry.” He shifted uncomfortably, unsure what to say. “I didn’t mean to sound so short. Of course I’ll still teach you how to ride your bike.”
    â€œAre you certain?” she asked quietly.
    â€œI’m sure.” He forced a reassuring smile onto his face. “But we should start our lesson before we lose all of our remaining electrolytes.”
    Before he realized what was happening, he felt her hand on the back of his neck, pulling him down to her height. She brushed her lips across his cheek, leaving a trail of fire that dwarfed the heat of the summer sun.
    â€œThank you.” She backed away, her cheeks flushed. “I appreciate your help.”
    He kept himself under tight control, even though his fingers twitched to grab her and