A Love He Never Wanted Book 1: The Beginning
highlight_author
Rora Prinz
highlight_reads
36,4K
highlight_chapters
31
Aurora believes her life is settled, even if her heart quietly disagrees. She is engaged, polite, and doing what is expected, until a chance encounter with Gio turns her world off balance. He is bold, perceptive, and far too comfortable saying the things she avoids admitting. Their connection is immediate, dangerous, and impossible to ignore. As stolen moments blur the lines between duty and desire, Aurora begins to see how much of herself she has been holding back. Caught between who she is supposed to be and who she becomes around him, she discovers that love has a way of finding cracks you didn’t know were there.
Chapter 1
AURORA
“Aurora!” I come to a stop and spin around on the ball of my foot to see the new guy, Giovanni, from the rental department, jogging to catch up with me. “Hey! Would you be able to help me with the compactor?” he asks, pointing behind him to the receiving area.
I look past him, trying to keep my cool, when all I want to do is nod my head frantically. But how does it look if an engaged girl acts like a single teenager with a crush?
“Sure,” I answer calmly. “Lead the way.” I motion behind him with the palm of my hand. He smiles brightly, making his perfectly manicured eyebrows flatten and rise before turning to go back to receiving.
The man is beautiful with his blond hair slicked back and dark brown eyes. As I follow behind him, I check out his tattoo sleeves down both arms and wonder if they cover his entire body.
“I can’t get the wire through to make a bale,” he says, trying to shove it through the openings in the top corner, causing me to giggle, knowing he’s bending the end of it right now.
“Hold on,” I say, grabbing the long iron bar that leans against the wall just for instances like this.
“You have to clear out any cardboard that might be in the way first,” I inform him as I lift the iron bar and place the tip in the opening and thrust it forward and back a few times till I feel its tip break through the blockage and pull it completely out.
“Now try it,” I say as I crane my neck to look him in the face.
He has to be 6’3”.
He smiles again, showing off his cute dimples and perfectly straight pearly whites, and pushes the wire completely through to the back this time. Still smiling, he turns his head in my direction before standing up straight to his full height.
That sexy smile of his has my stomach doing flips. And that’s when I know it’s time for me to go. Even if I don’t really want to.
“All right, I think you can handle the rest,” I say, placing the iron bar back to lean against the wall.
“Wait, keep me company. I may need your help again,” he says as I feel his hand curl around mine. Slowly I drag my eyes up his arm from his hand on mine. Once they lock with his, I feel my resolve melt and nod my head.
“Okay. Fine. I’ll stay in case you need more help. Seeing how you were already struggling, it’s not a stretch that you might need more help,” I say, feeling the corners of my mouth turn up as his face fills with blood and he shyly looks down at the ground.
With my free hand, I jokingly push him back toward the compactor. He takes slow steps backward while keeping his eyes on me as I walk past him to lean against the wall out of sight of others.
“I’ve been here for a week now. I hardly ever see you. You don’t like us rental guys?” he asks and thrusts the bar forward before looking at me for my answer, and I shrug.
“I practically live here. I’m just always all over the place. Unfortunately, the rental department doesn’t ever need my assistance.”
He nods his head and pushes the second wire through a second opening.
“I thought I heard you were engaged? No ring?” He motions to my left hand with his head, and I lift my hand as a reaction.
“Oh, I am, but…” I look everywhere but at him for an answer. I can’t tell him that I’m having doubts about who I’m marrying. “I hardly ever wear it here. I never go easy with anything. I’m afraid I’ll lose the stone banging it on something, so I just leave it at home.”
Really, I’ve slipped it into my pocket so that John won’t find out I’m not wearing it.
His bottom lip juts out, and he nods in understanding.
“You were asking about me?” I ask teasingly and watch his ears perk up as a smirk spreads across his face. He shakes his head but doesn’t look back at me.
“I did. I wanted to know if the hottest girl in the store was single,” he says in all seriousness, and finally looks back at me. My knees begin to shake under the weight of his heated stare, and a warm blush grows on my cheeks.
I shake my head to clear it and smile back.
“Very funny. Like you don’t have a girlfriend anyway.” He shakes his head at my assumption, taking steps closer to me.
“I don’t date. I don’t do love, or relationships.”
Like a big bucket of ice water has been poured over my head, my shoulders visibly deflate. Disappointment fills my chest, and I find it hard to breathe like someone is sitting on it.
I know I’m engaged and I shouldn’t care, but for some reason I do. I guess it’s just not meant to be. Even if I wasn’t engaged, I’m a relationship type of person, and he is clearly a player. And yet, I’m not ready to walk away.
“You say that now because you haven’t met the right person,” I say, tilting my head, and he mimics my movement, tilting his head slightly and shaking it as his eyes drop to my lips.
“I’ve met the right person, just not for all that.” His tempting tongue slips out, wetting his bottom lip before he takes it between his teeth. My treacherous body reacts to the suggestive action without my consent, forcing his eyes down further, and he smirks, loving how my thighs clench for him.
When his eyes shoot to mine again, I know it’s time for me to get the hell out of here. Regaining control of myself, I clear my throat and roll my shoulders.
“Well, new guy, it’s about time for me to call it a night and get home. Have a good night.” I swiftly walk past him to get out before he can stop me again.
My heart is beating in my throat as I hear his footsteps behind me.
“Hey! I didn’t mean to offend you. Wait!”
