by Francis Ray
Surprised and oddly annoyed, Traci didn’t know what to say. How could she have been so wrong?
“I hate to throw this on you, but I’ve been trying to catch your attention for weeks. The Sisterhood is a great group and, no offense, but I thought since mother is younger and you two are such great friends, you might have a better idea of what she wants.”
He didn’t want her body: he wanted her mind. She could really hate Ryan Gilmore.
“I’ll take this. It will throw Mother off if she saw me follow you.” He picked up the tray. “We’d better get back before she misses us. Do you think you might be able to get away one night this week to have dinner and discuss things?”
She had let a man fool her again and, although it wasn’t in a sexual way, she wanted to disappear. How could she have read him so wrong? She had almost made a complete fool of herself. How could she have been so blind, so stupid? She knew the type of women he dated and they certainly didn’t resemble her.
His smile faded. “You aren’t going to refuse, are you?”
Not if she ever hoped to be able to look him in the face again and, since he was Maureen’s son, there was no way she could ever get around that. “No, I was just thinking of where we could meet,” she lied and suggested the first place that entered her mind. “Circa 1897.”
“Great. It’s quiet enough that we can plan and talk,” he said. “Is eight tomorrow night all right? There shouldn’t be any danger in Mother seeing me. I’ll make reservations.”
The restaurant was quiet all right, and very intimate, but it was done. “Why don’t I meet you there?”
He shook his head. “If I pick you up, we’ll have more time to talk.” He turned away, then turned back. “Thanks. See you tomorrow night at eight sharp. This is going to be great.”
Traci watched him leave, her pride in tatters, but she had done it to herself. She should have known Ryan wasn’t interested in her. It took all of her courage to go back to the patio where all the guests had converged.
She was in time to see Celeste, the single daughter of the couple at the end of the block, slide up to Ryan. Celeste was in her late twenties, a college drop-out, and still trying to figure out what she wanted to do with her life while living at home. From the way she was curled against Ryan, she had found one thing she was interested in. Ryan, just like a man, was grinning from ear to ear at the attractive brunette.
Traci took a seat and gave her attention to Simon, who was discussing how outdoor lighting served the dual purpose of beautifying your home and keeping burglars away. Too bad there wasn’t something that kept men faithful. Their consciences and morality certainly never got in the way.
Celeste could have Ryan. Traci wasn’t interested in being cheated on again.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
ONLY YOU
Copyright © 2007 by Francis Ray. Excerpt from Not Even If You Begged copyright © 2007 by Francis Ray.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Cover photo © Bobby Quillard
eISBN 9780312948740
First eBook Edition : October 2011
EAN: 978-0-312-94874-0
St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / October 2007
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.