Brandon (Anderson Billionaires #3) - Melody Anne Page 0,19

you’re beautiful, and that’s worth stopping for, but it’s so much more than that,” he said in awe. His praise fell so effortlessly off his tongue she wasn’t sure what to say. No man had ever said anything like it to her before.

Sure, she’d been called beautiful and feisty and other compliments, along with some insults. But never had a man looked at her as if she hung the moon and stars and told her how she stopped him cold. She wanted to melt against him. Not a good idea.

Chloe took a second to compose herself and decided her moment of weakness was over. She wasn’t going to allow this man to turn her brain to mush any longer. She was a strong, independent woman, not some fluttering teenager who quickly fell under a new boy’s spell or carefully crafted words.

“I warned you our night together was a onetime deal. So I’ll ask again, What are you doing bugging me at my work?” she said, more force to her voice. She was scared and had a headache taking over that was making her words sharper than they normally were.

“You know exactly what I want,” he said conversationally. Though she did know what he was pushing for, his words made her think of something else. She hated that her mind didn’t seem to get out of the gutter around him. Maybe it was her sending mixed messages. She wasn’t sure. She did know she was damn confused.

A nervous laugh escaped her tight throat, and her slight hysteria finally elicited a response from him as he raised an eyebrow. They were both still standing in his doorway, and she wasn’t sure where they went from there.

“I’m busy, Brandon. I have my restaurant I’m trying to make successful, my volunteer work, my time at my parents’ cooking school. I don’t have time for games, and I really don’t have time for mind games.”

That stopped him. His smile fell away.

“I don’t want to play games with you, Chloe. Do you really hate me that much?” he asked. Her head was really beginning to hurt, and she wasn’t sure why she was suddenly feeling like the bad guy here.

“It’s not that I hate you, Brandon. I just . . .” She trailed off. She wasn’t sure what to say. “I don’t know what I want.” She was shocked when those words came from her mouth.

“I don’t know how to respond to that,” he said after a minute. She was feeling worse and worse that she’d hurt his feelings.

“Brandon . . .” His name fell off with a sigh. She’d come to put her foot down, and suddenly she was feeling like the villain. What made that even worse was that she knew it wasn’t what he was trying to make her feel.

“Why is this so complicated?” she finally asked.

His gaze was so intent as he looked at her. She couldn’t have spoken at that moment at all. She was practically shaking as she stood before him. This hadn’t gone as she’d planned at all. This was more of a mess than ever before.

“I’ve thought about our night together every single day since,” he finally said, the words casual, as if he weren’t shattering her into a million pieces. She didn’t want to take the bait, but she couldn’t help herself.

“You’re confusing me.” The pain in her head was growing, and she knew her night was ruined. Even taking her migraine pills wouldn’t help at this point. She was in for a very long evening.

“I’m confused myself. I don’t know what to do about it,” he said with a shrug.

Her head was throbbing, and she seriously didn’t know what to do about it. If she wasn’t in pain, she knew she could be stronger, knew she could make better decisions, but right now she knew she needed to run. She didn’t like running, but she didn’t think she had a choice.

“Coming here was a mistake,” she told him. “I’m leaving.”

Her ten minutes were up. She knew the man could stop her, but she hoped he wouldn’t. Even after a million pep talks, she still wasn’t strong enough to face Brandon Anderson. She knew as she began making her way back down his uneven sidewalk that she never would be.

He said nothing as she left, but she never heard the door shut behind her. Most likely he was watching her walk away. She was sure not too many women turned him down. Maybe she’d start a trend.