Persuading Spring: A Sexy New Zealand Romance (The Four Seasons Book 4) by Serenity Woods Page B

events that had ended in nothing but
misery. He had to be cautious and sensible.
    “What do you think I should do?” she
whispered.
    “It’s not my place to say.”
    “Even so.”
    He leaned back in his chair. “Tell him to
fuck off and die. Find a decent guy who’ll worship the ground you walk on.”
    Her lips gradually curved up. “I see.”
    “I’m sure your brother would agree with
me.”
    “I’m sure he would, too.” She rubbed her
nose, her eyes shining.
    It was getting dark in the room. He stood
and walked over to the kitchenette, switched the small lights on opposite the
bed, then picked up the half-full bag of Maltesers and brought them back.
Sitting at the table, he tipped some of them out and rolled them toward her.
She took one and popped it in her mouth, and he did the same.
    “So what do you want to do?” He sucked off
the chocolate, then crunched the honeycomb. “Do you want to give him another
chance?”
    She crunched hers. Then she shook her head.
“No. I’m done.”
    “You’re sure?”
    “Yeah.” She swallowed and then popped
another chocolate in her mouth. “I appreciate what you said about him not
meaning to hurt me, but he did, and I can’t forgive that.”
    “I’m glad.”
    She turned her head and rested her cheek on
her drawn-up knees, still looking at him. “I think I’ve gone back to him all
this time because I’ve been frightened about being on my own. I lost my
parents, and Hitch loves to travel, so he’s away a lot… I was scared of being
alone. And I know that relationships take work. Everyone says that, and I was
determined that mine wouldn’t fail. I didn’t want to fail, you know? And
standing on the quay, I thought I had failed, and that I was going to be alone
forever. And then you came along.” She wrinkled her nose. “Sir Lancelot.”
    His lips curved up. “I’ve never been called
that before.”
    “Oh, come on. You’re a vet. I heard what
you said to your ex about three dogs and two cats. You must have spent your
life rescuing lost things.”
    “That is true, actually. But I don’t think
you should put yourself in that class. I didn’t rescue you. I don’t think you
would have jumped into the harbor. You were upset and needed comfort, but I
think you’re very strong deep down. Even if I hadn’t been there, you would have
worked out what to do.”
     

Chapter Seven
    Bridget smiled at him, his words warming
her through. What a lovely thing to tell her after she’d been so pathetic and
sobbed all over his bathroom floor. This guy always seemed to know the right
thing to say.
    “Maybe,” she said. “I’m not so sure. I
still don’t know what to do. Not about Mal. That’s clear. I mean… in general. I
don’t know that I can go back to the way I was as if nothing’s happened.”
    “What do you do for a living?”
    “My friends and I run a lingerie business
called Four Seasons.”
    “Oh? The shop in the high street?”
    “That’s the one. My friend Callie runs the
business, Rowan designs the clothing, Neve does all the marketing, and I’m in
charge of the shop itself. I organize all the stock, help the customers with
fittings, that sort of thing.”
    “Nice.”
    Earlier, he’d looked into her eyes and the
desire there had made her heart race. She’d known it was ridiculous—she’d just
met the guy, for Christ’s sake—she couldn’t possibly have feelings for him
already. Not today, hours from when her long-term boyfriend had ditched her at
the altar. The absolute last thing she needed to think about was falling for a
man because he’d shown her a fraction of kindness. That was rebound on a
monumental scale.
    She liked him, though. She couldn’t help
it. He looked at her as if she was something precious, and that made her want
to melt. At first she’d thought him the boy-next-door sort, kind and gentle,
attractive in a cuddly teddy bear sort of way. Then he’d studied her lips as if
he’d yearned to kiss her, and a sexy