Addicted (Addicted Trilogy Book 1) by S. Nelson

personally, Sara.”
He gave me that dazzling smile of his, immediately putting me at ease.
    I was never quite sure how to act around him,
different emotions bombarding me all the time. One minute, I felt as if I was
walking on eggshells, and the next, I was trying to curb an emotional outburst
of his. Then I was rendered breathless and begging for his touch. I’d never
felt like that with anyone before in my entire life. Not even close.
    “So, as I was saying, I received an inheritance
from my grandfather when he passed away. I used some of the money to buy a
hotel, which I later turned into two, and so on and so forth. In less than a
decade, I was able to turn them into the largest chain of hotels on the West Coast.”
He took a bite of his toast before blurting out, “Oh, and I also own a few
nightclubs, Throttle being one of them.”
    I almost choked on my food, what with all the information
being spewed at me in the matter of thirty seconds.
    “Anything else?” I was merely being sarcastic at that
point.
    “Nope.” He smiled. “I think that’s it.” He
continued eating as if what he’d revealed to me was no big deal. And to him, I
was sure it wasn’t. But to me…it was a little overwhelming.
    He was in mid-chew when he glanced at me. I must
have looked a certain way because after he swallowed his food, he put his fork
down and interlocked his fingers, resting them casually on top of the table.
    “Are you okay? Does any of that bother you?” His
question was genuine.
    “No, it doesn’t bother me, per se. I’m a little
surprised is all. ” My face reddened after a simple
thought crossed my mind. “There I was going on about my excitement over a
little flower shop and here you own everything .”
    I was intimidated. I could admit it.
    “You had a goal of owning the shop, Sara, and you
saw it come to fruition. It’s a great accomplishment; don’t ever forget that. And
hey, at one time, I only owned one hotel.” He winked as he polished off the last of his meal.
    After a few more intense, quiet moments, he
shuffled around in his chair, settling in and getting more comfortable. Taking
a sip of his water, I could do nothing but watch the way his throat worked at swallowing
the cold liquid, his tongue tempting me as it slid over his lips.
    “Sara? Did you hear me?” he asked as I finally
raised my eyes from his delicious mouth to his dark green eyes.
    Oh, shit! I
totally didn’t hear a word he said.
    “I’m sorry, what did you say?” A low groan of
embarrassment erupted, spurred on further by his faint laughter.
    “I asked you about your family. Are you close with
them? Do you have any siblings?” He raised the glass to his mouth once more,
and I had to restrain myself from getting lost in the pure sight of him again.
    “Sorry. Um…I…don’t have any family,” I stuttered. Blowing
out a quick breath of air, I continued divulging my story. I was going to do it
quickly, however, because just as he didn’t want to talk about his sister, I
really didn’t want to talk about my family, or lack thereof.
    “My father died when I was very young, still a
baby. My mother called it ‘an unfortunate accident.’ He was an abusive drunk
who came home one night, starting up with my mom about something insignificant
and stupid as usual, and tripped over his feet, hitting his head on the edge of
the coffee table. He died instantly.” I
can’t believe I just blurted all of that out. I was usually very protective
about my past, but with him it was as if I had no worries.
    I kept going. “I only have a few memories of my mom
growing up, but the one which really sticks out is my fifth birthday party. It
wasn’t anything fancy, only my mom and a few of my friends, but I remember
being so happy that day, my mother’s smile etched forever in my brain.” Looking
away to regain some of my fleeting strength, I turned toward him again. “I only
have a few memories because she passed away when I was eight years