Read Keeping His Promise: A When It Happens Novella, Book 2 for Free Online Page A

light, he made the mistake of looking over at her. She was so damn beautiful, with all that creamy skin, vivid hair, and those mouthwatering curves, that he could have stared at her forever and been more than happy about it. Sure, it made him sound like a pussy-whipped idiot, but seeing as how he’d never been anywhere close to her pussy, he guessed it didn’t matter.
    She was just too goddamn gorgeous not to lose your head over. And her eyes… Christ, her eyes were the kind of thing that could make a man lose his train of thought—dark gray, almost charcoal, and stunning.
    He wanted the chance to stare into those beautiful eyes for longer than the length of a fucking traffic light, but knew it would never happen with the way things stood between them now. Not when she’d already decided he was a grade-A manwhore, and not worth her time.
    So, yeah…this is definitely my one and only shot.
    The light changed, and when the turn to Beachview came up not thirty seconds later, Sean hit the gas and drove right by it. He braced for her to freak out on him, but a quick glance over to his right showed her fiddling with her phone. She was no doubt trying to seem occupied so that he didn’t expect her to talk to him, which was kinda funny, since it meant she wasn’t paying attention. He relaxed back into his seat a bit more and smirked, confident there would be a motherfucking load of hell to pay when she finally clued in that he wasn’t taking her home. But until then, he was going to enjoy the silence…and the way her seductive scent was filling the inside of Paul’s truck, as well as his head.
    They were a good five minutes past the turn to Beachview when she finally looked up and realized where they were. “What the…?” Cutting him a sharp look, she demanded, “Where the hell are you going? I thought you were taking me home.”
    “Actually, I said that I’d give you a ride. But I didn’t say to where.”
    She forced her next words through her gritted teeth. “I want to go home, Sean.”
    “And you’ll get there. I just need to make a quick stop somewhere first.”
    “In completely the opposite direction from where I live? We’re heading to La Jolla!”
    “Yep.”
    “Fuck. Just…fuck!”
    “Thanks, but I’ll pass.” He couldn’t help but shoot her a cocky smirk. “Believe it or not, I like my women a little less bitchy.”
    “I know exactly how you like your women,” she muttered under her breath.
    With a wince, he realized that wasn’t the smartest thing he could have said, and quickly lost the grin. “Look, I swear this won’t take long. And then I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”
    “Just please make it quick,” she sighed, sounding defeated. He hated hearing her like that, when she was usually so feisty. But, damn it, she hadn’t given him any other choice. And hopefully this would turn out to be the most brilliant idea he’d ever had, and the woman would actually give him a chance to show her what he was really like.
    It was a hell of a long shot, but one he had to take. She’d gotten too far under his skin, and he knew he’d have always regretted it if he didn’t at least try to get under hers. To make some kind of connection with her, even if it all blew up in his face.
    Thankfully, it wasn’t far to their destination. He got lucky and found a parking space big enough for the truck that was fairly close to the upscale boutique they were headed to, then quickly jumped out so that he was around the truck and opening Natalie’s door before she’d even managed to unhook her seatbelt.
    Her curious, still kinda pissed off gaze, swept down the stylish street, the sound of the waves in the cove and the salty breeze both signs that they weren’t far from the water. She pulled in a deep breath, then brought her wary gaze back to his as she slowly let it out. “Sean? What exactly are we doing here?”
    Reaching down and taking her feminine hand in his, he said, “There’s someone