Free Hunger (Seductors #2) by B. L. Wilde Page A

my mouth. I couldn’t help darting my tongue out, moistening my lips in case he kissed me. “I’m so conflicted right now.” He pulled away, slumping back into his seat.
    “What’s wrong?”
    “My mind is telling me one thing while my body is saying another.”
    “This isn’t going to be an easy fix. I understand that. We just need time. Don’t over analyzing everything.”
    “You know that isn’t easy for me.”
    “It’s only been a few days. This is strange for me, too.”
    “In what way?” he pleaded. “Do you wish you hadn’t come back?”
    “No,” I sighed, shaking my head. “Most of me wishes I’d never left in the first place. That I could have been stronger.”
    “I wish you hadn’t gone, too,” he admitted, leaning in closer. “Who knows where we could have been by now.”
    “We still have time.”  
    “I know we do,” he smirked, looking down at his phone when it began to ring. “Yes,” he answered curtly. “I’m out having lunch. Why?” I sat there watching him, my eyes tracing over every line and contour of him. I loved everything about his face as he listened to whoever was speaking to him on the phone, from the slight stubble on his chin, to the worry lines on his forehead as he frowned. “I don’t care if she has to wait. You can tell Imogen that if she has an issue, she can take it up with me later. She shouldn’t even be trying to muscle in on this meeting.  It’s none of her damn business!” I had to hold my legs together as I watched him get all assertive. He was sex on legs. Add in the fact I was madly in love with him, and I had one hell of a mission this time. “I’m heading back now, Alicia.” Oliver looked up, grinning at me. He must have noticed my disapproving face at learning it was Alicia on the other end of the phone. “I took my car, not that it’s any of your business. I’ll be back in ten minutes. You can tell Imogen if she insists on crashing my meeting, she can wait!” With that, he hung up.
    “Problems in the office?” I asked, genuinely concerned.    
    “You could say that,” he stressed, pulling at his hair before gripping the steering wheel. “I need to cut our lunch date short. I’m sorry, Jade.”
    “Don’t worry about it. It’s not like you’re canceling our dinner date tomorrow.” I grabbed my trash and put everything in the bag. “Let me throw this away first. I don’t want your car to smell like fast food for days.” I could feel his eyes on me as I stepped out of his car and walked over to put the empty wrappers and leftover soda in the trashcan.
    “What time did you want me to pick you up tomorrow?” he asked once I was sitting beside him again.
    “Any time after seven works for me.” We made small talk on the way back, finalizing our plans for the following evening. By the time we pulled up outside his building, we had decided on him picking me up at eight outside my hotel.
    “Thanks for meeting me for lunch, Jade,” he muttered with his hands in his pockets. Could he feel the electricity charging between us, too? Was that why his hands were in his pockets? Was he trying to restrain himself?    
    “You’re welcome. I’m sorry I couldn’t be more help. I hope the rest of your day goes okay.”
    “You helped, Jade.” He spoke softly, studying my lips again. It was pure torture having to hold back. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
    “Okay,” I replied, watching him as he started to walk off. Just before he reached the automatic doors, I called out to him. “Thanks for lunch.”
    “It was my pleasure,” he responded with the dreamy smirk. “I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.” Then he was gone. That was Oliver Kirkham, the charmer.

    I spent the night looking through the contacts that Alicia had thrown at me a few days ago. It wouldn’t do any harm to get ahead on this mission and figure out which associates I could rule out. As I went through everything I realized that Alicia had been