Crave (His Second Chance with Heiress Bryn Christmas Duet #1) - Z.L. Arkadie Page 0,1

one of her sisters approached him and his best man and whispered something to him. Jamison barely nodded and then shrugged before the four of them escaped the scene. I never forgot how indifferent he looked. A groom whose bride was a no-show should have looked angry or upset. I concluded that he was no different than most of us who attended the wedding—empty on the inside and going through the motions. The next time I saw him was at a restaurant in Santa Barbara, California. Jamison was a campaign manager, and my sister-in-law had met with him to ask if he would spearhead my brother’s congressional run for office.

But there we were again, running into each other randomly at an airport in Rhode Island. “So, it’s true?” he asked.

I braced myself to look at him again. And when his handsome face filled the frame of my eyesight, my heart raced like a brisk wind. “What’s true?”

He smirked, flashing straight white teeth—the trademark of a genuine California boy. “You’re the only Christmas who flies commercial.”

I looked away from his sultry eyes to break the spell his gaze was putting on me. No, Bryn. Remember what he did. He’s not to be trusted.

“You look good, though—beautiful, as usual,” he said.

Damn it. I was forced to gaze into his eyes again. I cleared my throat. “Thank you.” Working hard to remain the picture of calm, I dropped my cell phone on top of the bar. “But I just don’t understand what happened.”

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You mean between us?”

I could feel my pulse speeding. “Yes, and are we supposed to be talking? After all, your father not only tried to tarnish my family’s reputation but also inferred that I committed a crime. Also, you tried to torpedo my brother’s political campaign, which leaves me wondering, was I part of your plan?” I felt relieved. I'd been wanting to say all of that since the night Spencer informed me of Jamison’s double-dealing.

Jamison rubbed the back of his neck as he sighed. I didn’t think he realized he did that, because from what I remembered, Jamison intentionally remained the picture of calm whenever he came under fire. That was one of his strengths. However, I’d given him a lot to chew on. I didn’t enjoy being in his face as much as I would have in the past, but it had to be said. My continued recovery depended on me always addressing the pink-polka-dot elephant in the room so that it wouldn’t eventually end up squatting on my chest.

“No, Bryn, I was never using you. I could never do that,” he finally said. “I apologize for the role I played in the debacle with your brother’s campaign. That sort of divisiveness is not what I’m known for. As for my father, I can’t apologize for him.”

I unfolded my arms, allowing my cooler head to prevail, and thought of my own controlling and despicable father, who was fortunately dead and buried. “I understand, and I accept your apology.”

Jamison’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Thank you.”

We stared into each other’s eyes again. I didn’t want Jamison Cox to set off fluttering sensations in my chest or make my soul quiver, but he did just that. Suddenly, I felt irritated, and a tiny part of me wanted him to go away already and forget I’d ever existed. But that was a very, very, very small part.

“So, what are you doing in these parts, anyway?” I asked.

He looked down at his feet while wearing a sheepish grin. My pinched face gave me a slight headache. He was being cagey, and that was annoying. “You don’t want to tell me?”

Our gazes met again. “What? Huh?” he asked.

“You don’t have to tell me. And you don’t have to stall. As a matter of fact—”

Jamison shoved his hands into his pockets. “So, what have you been up to these days?”

I paused to study him. Did he hear what I just said? Jamison’s face was red, and his gorgeous eyes seemed a little wild. If I had a mirror, I would probably see that I appeared just as flustered as he had. I felt jittery, and the parts of me that hadn’t tingled in a long time had been activated. It was apparent that we still had strong sexual chemistry, but that could be resolved by putting distance between us. I wouldn’t be making a healthy choice if I got involved for the second time with a man who had loved me