Free Broken Resolutions by Olivia Dade

hospitality.”
    Red Tie zipped up his parka. “Want to hit a bar, Clarence? That’s probably a better place to pick up chicks than a library, anyway.”
    “Ye have a point, matey,” Clarence agreed, and the two men left together.
    Then she and Jack stood alone in the library, with the sound of thousands of people singing “Auld Lang Syne” drifting around them. She fidgeted, not knowing what to do with her hands. Where to look. What to say.
    “I guess I should start cleaning up this mess.” She started toward the snack table. “I’ll be here for a while, but at least I get comp time. And those free weekends, of course.”
    “Penelope.” He hadn’t moved. Hadn’t stopped watching her face. The skin over his cheekbones looked taut, as if he were starving for something. For someone. “Look at me.”
    She knew what he was about to say. She just didn’t know what she’d say back.
    When her eyes met his, he spoke. “Have I convinced you?”
    She took a shuddering breath but said nothing.
    After waiting a moment, he continued. “Do you understand that there’s nothing wrong with you? Do you understand how much I want you?”
    He walked right up to her, stopping only an inch away. His arms, still loose at his sides, beckoned to her. Instead of answering his questions, she wanted to collapse into those strong arms. Disappear, so that she’d never have to make this sort of decision again. Never have to decide whether to risk her heart. She wanted him to enfold her and make the choice for her.
    But he wouldn’t. He wanted her to come to him of her own free will. By her own volition. Without any way for her to hide behind the excuse of seduction or coercion.
    Jack stood very still before her. He asked one last question.
    “I’m the man who can protect that open heart you have,” he said. “Have I convinced you?”
    When she walked toward the door, moving past him, she could see his eyes close for a long moment. His fists clenched, and he exhaled deeply. His shoulders sagged.
    “Okay,” he finally said, his voice defeated. “I’ll go.”
    She flipped the lock and turned back to face him, leaning against the door. At that, his eyes lit. He seemed to grow taller before her eyes, and a smile spread across his face.
    “I want you to stay,” she told him. “I believe you.”

8
    “L et’s go out,” Jack said. “We’ll find a restaurant that’s open and eat a real meal. We can talk and get to know each other a bit better.”
    We can remove ourselves from temptation , he mentally added. And the scene of that photo shoot, which I can’t seem to erase from my mind.
    The image of her standing above him, holding his head to the heat between her legs, had burned itself into his brain. Something about the contrast of Penelope—a quiet, small woman—controlling him in such an overtly sexual way . . . It had knocked him on his ass. Sure, he’d experimented with a little casual bondage before. But he’d always been the binder, not the one restrained. The pleasure of ceding power, even temporarily, had weakened his knees.
    His legs still felt shaky, and not just because they’d recreated a risqué book cover. Everything about her shook him. The softness of her breasts against his chest. The peppermint taste of her tongue in his mouth. The sharp intelligence in her big eyes. The joy in her laugh. Simply looking at her made his heart race and his cock stir. Simply knowing they were alone, and she was nearby.
    Penelope Callahan was dangerous. And from the new glint in her eye, he suspected she was beginning to realize it.
    She levered herself away from the door, flipping a few switches on the wall next to her. The library suddenly stood in shadows, with only a few dim lights illuminating the two of them. “Are you sure you want to go somewhere else?” she asked. “We have lots of food left. I have to clean up, but after that, we’d have plenty of time to talk. And plenty of privacy to get to know each other