A Demonic Bundle by Angie Fox, Lexi George Kathy Love Read Free Book Online Page A

fate.
    She took another long sip of her drink, then turned back to Charlie.
    “Are you going to show me the rest of your place?”
    His eyes widened as he realized exactly what she meant, then nodded. “Sure.”
    Man, she sure had a way of shocking the hell out of him.
    He turned, glancing back to see if she was following.
    “This is the bathroom,” he said, flipping on the light to show her the tiny room that managed to hold a pedestal sink, a toilet and a stall shower—just barely.
    “Very cute.”
    Charlie smiled at her, appreciating her generous way of saying “too small.”
    “And . . .” He snapped on the light, which illuminated his bedroom, another crowded space that contained his dresser and queen-sized bed. He was pleased to see he’d actually made his bed this morning. Sheer luck, that.
    Ava slipped past him, reaching out to test the firmness of his mattress. “This is nice.”
    Charlie laughed.
    “Hardly, but it’s affordable and clean,” he said, choosing to misunderstand her meaning and act as if she was referring to the apartment rather than the bed. “And I don’t plan to stay here forever.”
    “Planning for bigger and better?”
    He smiled. “Of course.”
    She nodded. “Sometimes we should just enjoy what we have. Bigger and better isn’t always best.”
    Again Charlie wondered what had her so unhappy, so dissatisfied, but he remained quiet.
    She wandered farther into the room, setting her plastic glass on the nightstand, a nicked, dark wood affair that he’d picked up at Goodwill.
    Then she turned and walked back to him. Just inches away, she stopped.
    “What’s your name?”
    Charlie froze, his eyes wide. Had he really not told her his name? Since he knew hers he supposed he’d just felt she must know his. Silly of him.
    “It’s Charlie. Charlie Bowen.”
    She smiled. “Charlie. I like that.” She reached out and touched his jawline. Then she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.
     
    Ava hadn’t dated as much as most people would think a supermodel had. But she wasn’t exactly an innocent either, and still she wasn’t prepared for how her body reacted to Charlie’s kiss.
    She realized she’d managed to startle him again when she first touched her lips to his. He froze against her gentle touch, but only for a fraction of a second, then his hands came up to either side of her head, those long fingers of his tangling in her long, wavy hair. After that, control was all his as his lips moved over hers with strong sureness.
    He angled his head, and hers, and the kiss deepened. His tongue brushed against the seam of her lips, silently, teasingly asking her to open for him.
    She did, without hesitation. She wanted to taste him, to feel him. And it was better, more powerful than she could have imagined: hot little flicks of his tongue like small licks of fire sizzling throughout her body; a low burn that was quickly escalating to an inferno.
    She whimpered, surprised and excited by her instant, violent need for him. But Charlie seemed to mistake the sound for distress, because he immediately pulled back, stepping away until he backed into the dresser. His gaze roamed her face, concern clear in his golden green eyes.
    “Ava—” He ran a hand through his hair, making the dark auburn locks more adorably disheveled. He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts.
    He laughed, but this time the rich timbre fell flat. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I don’t think we should do this. You are clearly upset about something tonight. And I don’t want you regretting anything.”
    She stared at him, feeling a slight sting of rejection, but also realizing that real concern clouded his hazel eyes.
    “Ava, I really don’t mean to—”
    She raised her hand to stop him. “I appreciate your kindness. I guess—I guess I have had a rough day, and that is affecting my thinking.”
    Charlie made a pained face, and she wanted to tell him that his kiss was affecting her thinking