The Maverick's Red Hot Reunion (Entangled Indulgence) by Christine Glover

bad for my body.” She tied her robe around her waist. “I can’t give you what you want no matter how much you tempt me.”
    “I know what I want. You. You know what you want. Me.” He widened his stance and put his hands on his hips. “Whatever we have burning between us isn’t over.”
    “It is for me.” She dumped the rest of her sandwich into the trash. “No more games. Please.”
    He ignored the beseeching tone in her voice. She’d crawled under his skin for the last time. “You’re a tease,” he said. “You run hot and cold. You’re yes and then you’re no .”
    She walked to the door and looked at him over her shoulder. “Consider no my final answer.”
    He fisted his hands. She’d had the final word five years ago. Now the rules had changed, and he was in charge of the outcome. He’d learned patience while working for his father. He’d wait for her to believe he’d backed off.
    When Kennedy least expected it, he’d find a way to melt the ice in her heart and heat the blood flowing in her veins. He’d wanted her body. He’d wanted to reconnect physically. He hadn’t wanted to feel old emotions stirring when they’d kissed.
    And revealing them had caused her to reject him with an outright lie.
    Now he only wanted one thing. He wanted to bring her back to his bed and reignite the passion flaring between them until it burned out. He wanted to know the truth hiding behind her rejection. Only then could he move on with his life without regret and sorrow anchoring him to the past.

Chapter Five
    As October waned, winds and storms brought cooler temperatures. Leaves swirled through the air and descended to the ground, covering it in a blanket of color. Pumpkins and Halloween costumes and the scent of hot apple cider nudged old memories out of the corners of Kennedy’s mind, memories of better times with Zach and Michael. Memories that she rammed back into coffins and nailed shut in her quest to rebuild Sweetbriar Springs.
    She buried herself in proposals, plans, and projects. At least once a day, she exchanged texts or private messaged Michael on Facebook. Kennedy even Skyped once a week with Zach at her side, each of them always positive and supportive without revealing their tense truce. But the heat that had flashed between them when they’d kissed three weeks ago in the kitchen was never far from her mind.
    For distraction, she threw herself into her work. She had found another investment firm who could take over for Michael, and she was grateful for her renewed sense of purpose. After Zach left North Carolina to manage his family’s vast conglomerate of worldwide, five-star resorts and Michelin-rated luxury hotels, she’d continue keeping her and Michael’s dreams for Sweetbriar’s economic recovery alive. There were dozens of old storefronts that needed new life, and new owners, and now she’d have the financial backing to make it happen.
    She’d even bridged the communication gap with Hannah, finally learning that her friend was leaving Los Angeles to return to Sweetbriar. Though she’d offered no explanation for her absence, Hannah had emphatically declared that she’d never leave their hometown again.
    The day after she’d handed out Halloween candy, Kennedy continued to tell herself her encounter with Zach in the kitchen had been a momentary lapse of judgment. Yes, he’d been angry at the time, but he had finally given up his pursuit. He treated her professionally when they worked together. Although her traitorous body still craved his touch, her practical mind sighed a breath of relief. After all, they had nothing left to bind them but Michael and the renovation.
    “Did you hear from the mayor yet?” she asked Caleb. “He promised an answer by November and it’s the seventh.”
    “Called this morning. The Sweetbriar League of Historic Preservation’s president approved our plans,” he said. “I’ve filed the documents and pulled the contract.”
    “Great.” She held