Pushing His Luck - Rhyannon Byrd Page 0,3

realized how bad it actually was until she twisted around in her chair and took a look for herself.

Yep, it was Paul all right. And he wasn’t alone.

Pressing her hand against the center of her chest, where her heart had started thumping like a caged bull, Karin soaked in the sight of him. Despite being a thirty-seven-year-old detective, he looked more like a young California surfer at the moment, with his wind-tousled hair, tanned skin and beard stubble, dressed in board shorts and a thin gray T-shirt. Casual, but painfully gorgeous. God, even when he was obviously drunk off his ass, he looked mouthwatering.

And the blonde clinging to his side—dressed in a minuscule bikini top and short shorts—looked almost identical to the woman Karin had walked in on her ex screwing in his office.

Honestly, what were the freaking odds?

It was like a bad case of déjà vu—only somehow even more painful. Probably because by the time she’d found Ben balls-deep in his perky receptionist, he’d already managed to kill everything she’d ever felt for him. Whereas Paul… Yeah, she wasn’t even going to travel down that road in her head, because it sure as hell wasn’t going to lead to anyplace good.

“I can’t believe he could be this stupid,” Natalie seethed. “Sean was furious when I told him how Paul had treated you. The second he realizes the prick’s here with another woman, he’s going to kill him.”

“He’ll have to get in line behind Chris,” Sophie added, sounding just as angry as Nat.

“K, are you all right?” Natalie asked, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“I…” She tried to force the rest of her response out, but couldn’t, her jaw locking down when Paul’s dark blue, bloodshot eyes suddenly looked right at her. She could have sworn he flinched, for just a second, before his face was wiped clear of all emotion and he quickly glanced away, lowering his head and placing a kiss on the side of the blonde’s tanned throat, while sliding his left hand down the back of her shorts.

“I have to go,” she blurted, turning back around so swiftly she nearly toppled the chair over.

Natalie looked stricken. “Don’t. Don’t do that. Don’t run.”

Karin blinked up at her friend, unable to believe that was Natalie’s advice. “What?”

Natalie’s forehead creased as she lowered her voice. “I know it sucks, but don’t let him run you off. You’re the one who has the right to be here. This is where you live. Not him. He doesn’t get to show up like this, after what he did, and make out with another woman right in front of everyone, rubbing it in your face.”

Oh God. Making out? She couldn’t stop herself from taking another quick glance over her shoulder, and sure enough, the blonde looked like she was trying to eat his face off.

Looking forward again, Karin downed the rest of her drink and sucked in a sharp breath, using every ounce of strength she possessed to fight off the hot tears that were burning at the backs of her eyes. There were no words for how badly she hated being one of those people who cried when they were hit by a heavy wave of emotion, whether it was sadness or anger or fear. The last freaking thing she wanted was to look upset in front of the jerk, so she just kept sucking in deep breaths and blinking like a crazy person.

“I just don’t get it,” Natalie said, sounding angry and confused. “Paul might be a hard-ass alpha, but he’s a good guy. He’s not the type to be a dick. To any woman. And you’re not just any woman, K. You’re fucking gorgeous, you’re successful, and you’re an amazing mom. I mean, you’ve got the kind of looks that make men trip over their feet when they see you, and an awesome personality. No way in hell was he not into you.”

“I love you, but you’re freaking blind if you think men trip when they see me. And if Paul was ever into me, which I seriously doubt, he fell out of it pretty quickly.”

“No, Natalie’s right,” Sophie said. “Chris and I have both noticed how closely Paul watches you. We’ve been talking about it for months.”

“What?” she gasped, blinking up at her friend in surprise. Even though he’d asked her out for a drink the first time they’d met, when he ran into her and Natalie at Manolo’s back in the fall, and he never failed to