A Simple Twist of Fate by Helenkay Dimon Read Free Book Online Page A

and threw her body across the puffy pillows in a not-so-ladylike sprawl. She debated propping up her feet on the table and hunting down the television remote but went with closing her eyes instead.
    When the knocking started a second later her body jackknifed into a sitting position. The frantic beat of her heart knocked around in her brain. After all, she knew about six people in this town and not one of them showed up at her house unannounced. Well, one but he had a hot date and should be on it.
    Dreading what could be lurking on the other side of the door, she got up with a groan. One guy selling magazines or a dude offering a new security system and a shove down those stairs could happen.
    A peek in the peephole and her heartbeat turned to a wild bounce. The kind that promised a heart attack.
    He
stood out there, bracing his hands on either side of the door and staring forward as if he could see her from that side. He looked at home and in control. Strong and just-out-of-bed sexy.
    She stood up on tiptoe and smashed her forehead against the door. From this angle she could . . . yep, Beck wore pants. She guessed that was a plus, though she wasn’t sure how.
    After a rushed finger comb through her hair and a few puffing breaths to get her heart rate back in the normal range, she opened the door. Since her stomach bounced all around at the sight of him standing there she tried treating him to cool disinterest. “How do you know where I live?”
    He pushed away from the doorframe and showed off all six feet of his total hotness. “Not the warmest welcome I’ve ever gotten.”
    Pushing him down the stairs was not an option, even though it might snap the gooey spell that wrapped around her whenever he showed up. The same one she fought back against with sarcasm and more than a bit of dodging whenever he walked into a room.
    “I’m serious, Beck.”
    His eyebrow lifted. “May I come in first?”
    On the list of bad ideas this was way up there, but between the mist of rain and the dimple he kept flashing, she didn’t stand a chance. She wasn’t heartless, but the immunity she hoped to acquire against him hadn’t sparked to life yet. “For a minute.”
    “You don’t have to make it sound like I’m giving you a quiz.” He wiped his feet on the mat and stepped inside.
    “Is that the plan?” Because he seemed like the type to have one ready.
    “No.”
    Water drops clung to his navy blue jacket, highlighting those impressive shoulders. His damp hair brought the memories rushing back. Rip his clothes off and this would be a rerun of this morning.
    As if she needed a reminder.
    She backed up until her butt hit the side of the sofa. When she stumbled her gaze went to the bed and the white sheets and . . . yeah, he needed to leave before she tackled him and did something
really
stupid.
    “You were going to explain how you found me,” she said, ignoring the way her voice broke like a boy going through puberty.
    Beck stopped in the middle of taking off the damp jacket. “About a thousand people live in Sweetwater and most everyone knows everyone’s business, so it wasn’t hard to track you down.”
    “I know your family. That’s about it.” And that was only a slight exaggeration.
    “You shop at Schneider’s Grocery.”
    She balanced her hands on the couch behind her, digging her fingers into the cotton upholstery. “You’re asking about me around town?”
    She didn’t know whether to be thrilled or furious. The pinging in her chest suggested the former but she knew anything that tied them together would end badly. Them as a “them” was a very bad idea. She had to find her aunt’s property and get out of town. That meant deceiving Beck and his brothers and lying . . . and she hated all of it. There sure was no way to combine the deception with sex. No matter how much she wanted Beck.
    He sighed, putting a load of male attitude behind it. “You think I’m hanging out at bars and on street corners