7 Days of Seduction by Jenna Jaxon

closed it and looked away. What could she say? He spoke the truth.
    Finally, she met his eyes, her lips drooping in a pout. "Will you call me tomorrow?"
    "No."
    She sat up as though nudged by a cattle prod.
    "No?" The panic in her voice gave him a flicker of hope.
    "No. I'm done, Ashley. If you don't think enough of yourself to remain in control of your actions, I'm the wrong man for you. I guess I was kidding myself to think I saw that potential in you."
    "But, Hunter. It's just a drink, damn it." She got a little louder, probably the effects of the booze. God knew how many she'd had before he got there.
    "You don't need it, Ashley." He stared hard into her face, willing her to listen. "You remember I told you I watched you this past spring? That's how I knew you ate lunch on Wednesdays at Café Milano."
    She nodded.
    "One day I sat there, out of the way, just looking at you." Drinking her in. "You'd finished eating and your cell buzzed with a text. You picked it up and opened the message. I don't know who it was from, or what they said, but your face lit up with this incredible look of joy--like someone had just offered you the world." She'd glowed with an inner light that took his breath away. "And I wanted to be the one to put that look back on your face."
    She stared at him, swallowing convulsively as if choking back words. Or tears.
    "But if you can't stop this nonsense," he gestured to the drink still in her hand, "I'll walk away. It's me or the drink, Ash. That's the choice." He held firm, though the thought of giving her up ate at him. He'd carried that image of her face in his mind all summer. Planned his seduction down to the last rumpled sheet. That it might be derailed by her drinking had never occurred to him until last Friday night. He'd hoped that had been a fluke.
    Because he wasn't about to start a serious relationship with a woman who might spiral out of control at any time. Been there, done that. And he had the scars to prove it. He closed his eyes briefly, willing away the awful images. This was the test. She had to be willing to try to stop. He held his breath.
    Ashley looked at the drink in her hand then stared off into space toward the kitchen. Contemplating refreshing her glass? Damn. A final glance at that smokin' hot body brought a sigh. All that beauty wasted. He turned to the door.
    "Wait, Hunter."
    He paused, his hand on the knob. Ashley was on her feet, beside him, the drink discarded somewhere along the way.
    "I'm sorry." She placed her small tanned hand on his arm. Her face contorted, eyes squinted, lips trembling. "Of course, I choose you."
    Life flooded back into him, filling his very pores with a joy he'd thought he'd lost. The gym bag thumped to the floor. He grasped her shoulders and pulled her to him, enfolding her with a possessive grip. As she nestled her head against his shoulder, she hitched sobs that sounded sweet to his ears. She was his now. He'd make sure of that.
    * * * *
    Ashley tried to burrow into his chest then realized what her sobs and runny nose were doing to his shirt. Damn . He probably should leave her ass. Raising her head, she swiped at her streaming eyes with her hand. It came away with a black smear of mascara across the back and she groaned. She must look like a raccoon or worse.
    "God, what a mess." If she could get to the bathroom, she might be able to repair the ravages of this meltdown. But he refused to budge when she tried to pull away. "Let me go wash my face, Hunter. I'm a fucking wreck."
    "I don't mind," he said, his lips in her hair. He tightened his arms around her.
    "But I do." She continued to pull away, before she ruined his clothing. "I need to get my shit together and then we can explore your little bag of tricks." Her smile dimmed when he didn't return it.
    "How much did you drink before I came over?"
    She dropped her gaze then her head. "Only two."
    "Truth?"
    She nodded and risked a glance at his face. The hard planes had never been apparent until