Page 79 of Sweet Redemption

“Why?” he pushes, coming closer, that gleam in his eyes growing impossibly brighter. “Do you have plans?”

I shake my head, suddenly wishing I had a much busier social life.

“Then give me one good reason you won’t go out with me.”

Holy shit, this man smells good. Like the ocean and sea spray mixed with something all him. Something so intrinsically Hendrix, I’ve never caught the same scent anywhere else.

“Do you have a reason?” He moves around my desk until I’m forced to look up at him as our knees touch. “Because I don’t think you do, Serena. I think you want to go out with me, but you’re scared to admit it. I think you want to say yes.”

Yes, to absolutely everything he just said.

Yes, I’m scared.

Yes, I want to go out with him.

Yes, I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.

“Where would we go where no one would see?” I breathe out, shocked at the words as they fall from my lips.

“Let them see, Serena. I’m fucking tired of hiding. It’s been ten years.” He plants his arms on either side of my chair and leans down. “I’m done pretending.”

“What does that mean, Hendrix?” Jesus, my head is spinning, and my heart is racing. I’m pretty sure the only thing overwhelming the panic my body is fighting is my need to tell him yes. I want all that too. But what good is any of it if I can’t trust him?

“It means I come to your house and pick you up. It means I take you to eat and you tell me about everything that’s happened in the past three years. You let me know the woman you’ve become since the last time I held you.” He brings his face to within inches from mine, his voice low and seductive, and so damn sexy. “The last time I tasted you.”

Holy hell . . .

“Then, you let me take you home. Walk you to your door. And maybe kiss you good night. It’s called a date, princess, and it’s something we never really got to do the first time.” He wraps a lock of my hair around his finger and tugs. “Hell, if you want, we can go to a movie, but I can’t promise to keep my hands to myself if you put me in a dark room next to you for two hours. So dinner is probably a safer bet.”

Oh God. Why does a movie sound so tempting?

“Dinner,” I whisper, licking my lips. “Start small, Sinclair, and don’t press your luck.”

And, wow, the triumphant smile that pulls at his lips is one I’m not sure I’ll ever forget.

“Does seven-thirty work for you?” I swear a blush pulls at his cheeks. “I want to put Bodhi to bed before I leave, and he goes down around seven.”

Right. His son. “Do you have a sitter?”

He nods. “Mom said she’d stay with him.”

Fear rockets through me. “Where does she think you’re going?”

“On a date with you.” Hendrix straightens and takes a step back, and I immediately miss his heat. “I told you I’m done hiding.”

“What if I’m not?” I push back without even thinking it through.

“We’re not kids anymore, Serena. Secrets and lies didn’t work back then, and they’re sure as hell not going to work now.” His hand skims my cheek, sending a chill dancing down my spine. “I was a kid the first time I asked you out. I’m not him anymore.”

“What if I liked him?” I ask, unsure why I’m even arguing.

“I’d say good, because you’re going to like the grown version of him even better. I’ll see you at seven-thirty.”

He doesn’t wait for an answer before he’s through my door, and I’m left sitting in my office alone.

What the actual fuck was that?

Istop by Dad’s assistant’s desk that afternoon, the information I’ve spent the week gathering tucked under my arm. “I put myself on his schedule earlier. Is he ready for me?”