Redemption in Love (Hearts on the Line) (33 page)
Brooke started walking to the restaurant. Why couldn’t he have accepted the offer from Sterling & Wilson? They were in Texas. Or maybe some other big firm in New York City. Pete had an incredibly employable degree from Stanford—mathematics—and he’d had tons of options, could’ve gone anywhere. Wasn’t it every finance geek’s dream to work on Wall Street?
She got to Wong Lotus in less than ten minutes, and there Pete stood. Gone was the kid she remembered who always hung out in jeans and rock-band t-shirts. Now he was in a dark Armani suit with well-polished shoes. He was taller as well, his body wider and stronger looking. Unlike Amandine, he had dark hair that used to stand up in spikes when he was stressed, but right now the hair was behaving exceptionally well, lying neatly on his head and framing his handsome face. Eight years ago there had still been a hint of the softness of a boy transitioning into manhood. Now, his face was completely masculine, sharp angles, high cheekbones and piercing blue-gray eyes.
He waved at her, and she waved back and went to him. “What are you doing in my neighborhood? You don’t live close by.”
“Just got done at the office.”
That explained the suit on a Sunday. Pete didn’t go to church as far as she knew. Even if he’d wanted to, his job kept him too busy. “You know I’m going to order the most expensive stuff on the menu, right?”
“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t,” he said with a grin.
He held the door open, and she walked in. The delicious aroma of sizzling fat, meat and sauces enveloped her as warmly as an old friend’s hug. The place had a few people lingering after a late lunch—or maybe they’d arrived extra early. Wong Lotus ran specials on Sundays: free egg rolls for the first fifty diners. Brooke and Pete had definitely made the cut-off.
A teenage waiter—the owner’s son—in a faded blue Superman T-shirt and a piratical earring led them to a booth in the back near a window. She ordered lobster Cantonese, bokchoy and mushroom stir-fry and fried rice. Pete ordered the lobster and lo mein. The waiter brought out their complimentary egg rolls with sweet and sour sauce and disappeared.
She took one. It crunched between her teeth, the flavor of veggies and meat heavenly. “So. What’s this about? I know you aren’t just, you know, suddenly dying to buy me dinner.”
“That’s not true,” Pete said. “I’ve been wanting to take you out to dinner for a while.”
“Pete.”
“What? You want me to lie to you?”
“Of course not, but you could be more…” She sighed. “Do you have any business you want to discuss over dinner?”
“Nope. It’s all social.”
“You know why you and I shouldn’t be seeing each other like this.”
“Actually, I don’t.”
She gritted her teeth. “This is just wrong. Weird.”
“Because of what happened eight years ago?”
She could feel her cheeks heating. With shame, of course. It couldn’t be that the memories of their time together was making her sweat.
“Yes. That was a huge mistake,” she said.
“No. It was the best thing that’s ever happened to me. To us.”
“I was nineteen and you were sixteen. It was statutory rape.”
He snorted. “Some rape. We didn’t even go all the way.”
“Fine.” She took the last bite of her egg roll, then looked at his with longing. He chopsticked it over to her plate, and she grabbed it before he could change his mind. “Statutory make-out, then. Still a mistake.”
“I’m not sixteen anymore, Brooke.”
No, he definitely wasn’t. His voice was deeper, much more resonant and confident. He had broad shoulders and a chest that deserved to have a woman’s head resting on it after an incredible orgasm or four.
I bet he’s good in bed
. He’d been a great kisser when he was—
She blinked, smacking herself mentally.
You crazy
,
crazy girl!
The waiter decided to show up right then with their food, god bless him. Wong Lotus had the best lobsters in town. It didn’t matter that the restaurant was humble with melamine plates and flimsy, cheap silverware. People came for the food, not for the ambiance.
She took a greedy bite of the crustacean and sighed with pleasure. No matter how rich she became, even if she won the lottery, she would never ever stop coming here.
Pete’s gaze grew darker. “If we’d met for the first time now…and let’s say I’m not Amandine’s younger brother…would you have turned me down?”
“That’s completely irrelevant. We didn’t meet now. You are Amandine’s younger brother, and I’m her best friend. There’s no point in discussing something that can never be.”
“It’s not irrelevant.” He used his chopsticks to gesture. “You’re avoiding the point of my hypotheticals, and—”
“I’m doing what to your what?”
“…and that tells me everything I need to know.”
Brooke was starting to feel a little dizzy. “Which is…?”
“That I’m not the only one who’s interested in giving us a real chance.”
* * *
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Sweet in Love
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The Hearts on the Line Series
Book 1:
Vengeful in Love
(Natalie Hall & Alex Damon)
Book 2:
Reunited in Love
(Kerri Wilson & Ethan Lloyd)
Book 3:
Redemption in Love
(Amandine Monroe Lloyd & Gavin Lloyd)
The Ever After Series
Book 1:
A Happily Ever After of Her Own
(A retelling of
Beauty and the Beast
)
Book 2:
One Kiss
(A retelling of
The Frog Prince
)
Ever After Bundle: Books 1 & 2
Other Titles
Ashwyn: Cinderella Retold with an Erotic Twist
The Last Slayer
Destiny Entwined
How to Format Your Manuscript for Kindle and Nook
Bilingual former management consultant Nadia Lee has lived in four different countries and enjoyed many adventures and excellent food around the globe. In the last eight years, she has kissed stingrays, got bitten by a shark, ridden an elephant and petted tigers.
She shares an apartment overlooking a river and palm trees in Japan with her husband and son. When she’s not reading or writing, she can be found digging through old Asian historical texts or planning another trip.
To learn more about Nadia and her projects, please visit
nadialee.net
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