Free Rapture by Perri Forrest Page B

it for one, and for two, I spent most of my time at The Cosmopolitan working.
    “You like?” Bart asked.
    I had forgotten that he was even standing there for a minute while I gazed around in amazement. “Psshh!” I exclaimed. “I more than like it. It’s beautiful.”
    And it was too. First of all, the ceilings were much higher than they looked from outside, giving it an airy feel. There were bright pendant ceiling lights hanging directly over the u-shaped mahogany bar—for the entire length—which looked to be at least 18’ long, and several feet wide. Lining the bar, all the way down, were red leather, high-backed barstools that stood at least 36” high. The TV for the area was mounted right above the selection of mouth-watering full bar items sitting pretty in a glass shelved cabinet. Along the walls sat booths for dining. Each booth had built-in square-shaped shelves that held different pieces of sports memorabilia: shoes, trophies, plaques, etc. Then my eyes fell upon a sight; a very attractive sight. Right near where I stood in a cabinet filled with glass frames sat at least five framed pictures of none other than Rush…in baseball uniform! My, oh my. He is fitting that thing ! So, he’s an athlete, I thought to myself. It certainly explains the sports bar. It’s a part of who he is. And the mansion, with the guest houses…! Yeah, I got it in that moment. Wow.
    I finally pulled my eyes away from the glass case and we continued on. As we walked through to an open space, I saw square footage on top of square footage that housed several pool tables, and big screen televisions. Off to the side of the last row of tables was a small room that sat behind tinted glass.
    “That’s a small lounge back there,” Bart offered, when he saw my eyes scanning. “It fits eight. Usually a couple or two will go in there to talk and have private time away from all the noise.”
    “That was well-thought out,” I complimented. “It’s stunning in here. I’m impressed.”
    “I guess I can thank you on Rush’s behalf,” Bart playfully commented.
    “I can only imagine what the other side looks like. He’s got a prime piece of commercial real estate here.”
    “That’s what I told him when we jumped on the opportunity. It was for sure, a great investment.”
    After I finished taking in as much as I could from where I was standing, I hunched my shoulders and put my hands into the back pockets of my jeans, then swayed back and forth on the balls of my feet. “So, you probably don’t know the answer to this, but what am I doing here?”
    Suddenly, I heard Rush’s voice behind me. “I can answer that.”
    I turned towards him, and although I knew it hadn’t, it felt like my breathing had stopped and was sitting in my chest. It was like I was seeing him for the first time, even though it had only been some hours. This man is so damn fine . He was casually dressed in a black tee, jeans, a leather jacket, and was wearing what looked like motorcycle boots. I scanned head to toe, once again taking in all that was him, and secretly enjoying the sight. The dark features got me. Brooding, chiseled, mysterious almost. I hated like hell that somewhere between him seeing me crouched behind his driver’s seat, and right now, I had grown this crush! I wanted to fight the attraction so badly. I wanted to believe that they were only feelings that had formed because he had come to my rescue, but as I looked at him, I knew it was much more than that. He was beautiful—if it’s even PC to call a man that. I mean, on the inside, and especially out, the man was everything. But I had already resolved to try my best to keep my budding feelings in check, because for sure there was a woman of the manor some damn where! Had to be! And even if there weren’t and he was as single as a dollar bill, he probably didn’t take me too seriously at this point. It was highly likely that he already viewed me as a desperado looking for a man; and