Free Inevitable by Michelle Rowen

them. It took everything in her not to reach for him, pull him against her, and crush her mouth against his.
    It was a losing battle, because she’d already touched him, her hand pressed against his chest. His heartbeat felt fast beneath her touch.
    â€œBeing close to each other—” she said in a husky voice.
    â€œWon’t be a problem. I swear to stay at least ten feet away from you at all times so you aren’t…distracted.”
    â€œI’m distracted right now.”
    â€œYeah?” He leaned over a little so their gazes were on the same level.
    â€œWhy did you come here, Ryan?”
    â€œTo this restaurant or to Mystic Ridge?”
    â€œBoth.”
    His warm breath touched her cheek as he leaned closer to whisper in her ear. “Because the memory of your mouth on me drives me so crazy that I can’t stop thinking about you.”
    She knew she should pull away from him, but she couldn’t. She felt the hard ridge of his erection against her hip as he pressed her back against the pillar.
    She wanted him. Damn it, she wanted him more than anything. It was almost enough to make her push all of her convictions aside.
    Almost.
    If they hadn’t been interrupted by the knock at Xavier’s library door the other night, then there was no doubt in her mind she would have done more than just had oral sex with Ryan right then and there.
    Her desire for Ryan had needed release when they’d been partners—so she’d written it all down in her book. She’d thought that had been it, that she’d gotten it out forever so it wouldn’t stay with her. She’d decided one book was all it would take. But lately she’d been itching to write more. Her fantasies seemed to multiply the more she tried to hold them back.
    And they were all about Ryan. Even before she’d seen him again. Even before the potion had taken its hold on her.
    But the writing didn’t pay the bills. That was her real job, PARA. And she knew screwing things up with the potion bottle would be a negative mark on her career.
    She could make up for it, though. Tonight.
    Cracking a cold case would definitely earn her extra points when it came time for her review. She might even be promoted within the company and her future as an agent would be solidified.
    Emma did want to help Lorraine if she could. She liked using her ability to help spirits trapped on earth, especially those dealing with broken hearts. She was a sucker for a love story.
    â€œI’ll go. But this changes nothing between us,” she managed to say calmly. It took every ounce of strength inside her to push away from him. Her face felt hotand her body ached. Just a taste had only increased her appetite for Ryan.
    He nodded. “I get it. You still hate me. You don’t trust me. Et cetera.”
    â€œAs long as we’re clear on that.”
    â€œTotally clear.”
    There was never any question about helping the ghost out. Emma was a romantic. She’d seen that pained look in Lorraine’s eyes. The woman missed her husband desperately. Even though the guy was self-loathing, secretive and a pain in the butt.
    He was like Ryan. Her former partner might deny the self-loathing, but she’d seen it in his expression at the party. There was a part of him that hated what he’d done. She knew that he missed his life as a PARA agent. If he regretted his past actions, maybe that would make a difference. Maybe he’d finally own up to it. And maybe then she could finally forgive him.
    Emma reminded herself that she shouldn’t care one way or the other, but she did. She couldn’t deny it. She cared about Ryan and she didn’t want him to be unhappy.
    Everyone made their own choices in life. Some were big ones, and others were small. The problem was, at the time you made a choice, you were never sure which category it fell into. A small choice might lead to large consequences that would haunt you