9781616503369 by Sondrae Bennett Read Free Book Online Page A

wondering what you’re doing here.”
    He reached over to the box and pulled out another slice, holding it out for her to take. After only a moment of hesitation, her hunger overruled her reservations.
    “I’m eating.” He shrugged, still drilling into her with his gaze.
    “Yes, but why are you eating here ?”
    “We had a date. You left a message on my machine saying, ‘ Brendan, I’m not feeling up to salmon tonight. Would you mind picking up some pizza and coming to my place instead?’ What was I supposed to do–say no?”
    He’d used a high pitch voice to imitate her. Julie stared for a full minute before she could form a reply.
    “That’s not what the message said.”
    “It wasn’t?” The smile he threw her way was playful. “My bad. I guess I misunderstood.” He started eating his slice again, his gaze never breaking contact with hers.
    “You know it’s a little nerve wracking to eat while you’re staring at me.”
    An image of Jay, the man from the wine store, flashed through her mind. His eyes had pierced her with the same intensity as Brendan’s did now. But whereas Brendan’s gaze made her feel safe, not to mention hot all over, Jay’s had left her on edge. As she remembered, a wave of unease swept over her, and she brought her arms around herself to chase away the goose bumps.
    In an instant, Brendan was there, clutching her shoulders and forcing her gaze to his.
    “Julie? What happened?” There was a fierceness in his grip, in his posture, that had been absent before.
    “It’s nothing.” What was she supposed to say? That some guy had hit on her and now, hours later, she was freaking out. It sounded ridiculous even to her.
    “It’s not ‘nothing.’ I saw the frightened look on your face. Now tell me what happened.” His grip tightened, not painfully but with clear intent. He wasn’t going to drop this until he knew what had spooked her.
    “I was thinking about this guy I met today. He gave me the willies. No big deal.” A barrage of questions assailed her.
    “Who was he?” Brendan’s voice demanded an answer, his grip solid on her arm.
    “Calm down, Brendan. He was just a guy. He asked me out. I said no. He went away. That was it.” She left out Jay’s eerie certainty they would meet again, knowing it would set Brendan off.
    “Then why the fear? Does he live in town?”
    “He just gave me a creepy feeling. It was nothing. And no, he doesn’t live here.” Julie waited a moment for her words to sink in. “Now don’t you think there are more important things we should be discussing?” Like why he had rejected her earlier, and if he would do it again.
    Tonight had opened her eyes. Yes, she had been drunk when she’d convinced herself sex with Brendan wasn’t the catastrophe she’d envisioned. But her point remained valid, even after the alcohol had worn off. Maybe a fling was exactly what she needed right now. As long as she remembered a fling was all it was and didn’t let her heart get entangled, she’d be fine. Besides, if Brendan did everything else half as well as he kissed, it was worth the risk.
    “And what other things do you want to discuss, little one?”
    “Why did you stop earlier?”
    “You were drunk. I’m not going to take advantage of you.”
    His sincerity seemed real, and if that had been the only thing holding him back…
    “I’m not drunk anymore.” He stared at her for a long time, searching for something. Julie didn’t know what he looked for, so she stared back, telling him with her eyes this was what she wanted. Finally, his gaze released hers and trailed down her body, causing her to blush. It wasn’t as if she’d expected guests. She knew her gray sweat pants and baggy sleep shirt weren’t suited for seduction.
    * * * *
    Julie in her comfy clothes was sexier than any woman he’d ever seen in lingerie. Which admittedly hadn’t been too many, but not for lack of offers. After he’d discovered Julie was the one for him, he’d