All Bottled Up by Christine D'Abo Read Free Book Online

several seconds before Jerod stepped back, grinning, and continued his inspection.
    “While I can make many suggestions to improve your outward appearance generally, it would be best if I knew about this man you are hoping to trap.” Is this guy for real?
    “Win over. I’m not going to trap him into anything. Good Lord, what kind of woman 38

     
    do you take me for? And how can you know his name but not know anything about him?”
    “Of course, no trap. Whatever was I thinking,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I was able to get an image of him during your conversation. That only tells me the basics of who he is. But I need to know more of William.”
    “His name is Bill.”
    Jerod waved his hand about, as if to dismiss her correction.
    She couldn’t believe this. “Are you going to be a jerk the whole time you’re helping me? Cause if you are, I can release you from your duties and send you on your way.” Jerod stopped his walk-around. They stood shoulder to shoulder, eyes locked on each other. A small ping of triumph zinged through her when his scowl morphed into his tiny, amused smile.
    “I forgot what it was like to deal with a forthright woman.”
    “Is forthright a good thing?”
    “Indeed.”
    “So?”
    Jerod sighed. “I will help you win your, what was his name?” Now she knew he was doing it to piss her off.
    “Bill,” she said from between her clenched teeth.
    “Your Bill. And I will make an effort not to be a jerk, as you say.”
    “Thank you!”
    The tension in the back of her neck began to fade away and she couldn’t stop the large grin on her face. If he could really help her pull this off, there was hope for her after all. She wouldn’t have to grow old alone. She would actually get laid. Maybe even more than once.
    “As I said, it would be helpful to know the man you…hope to charm. With your permission, I’d like to explore your memories of Bill.” The idea sounded bizarre, but strangely she’d grown to trust Jerod over the past hour.
    Well, maybe not trust, he was a genie after all. She nodded and waited for his direction.

    39

    His eyes grew wide, the crystal color almost beginning to glow. Mesmerized, unable to look away or focus on anything else, Viola almost missed what he said.
    “In order for me to know the man who stirs your heart, I must know your heart.”
    “How do you do that?”
    Her tongue darted out and wet her lips when Jerod swayed closer to her. His gaze fixated on her mouth for a moment before he met hers again. For the first time since they’d met, she felt an undercurrent of something more than awareness tug her toward him. There was a timeless age to him, something more , deeper. She swore she saw his loneliness.
    “Close your eyes.” His command was gentle but powerful.
    Viola’s lids fluttered shut without her thinking, and she felt a sort of energy pulsing from Jerod. He smelled of exotic spices, something that resembled cloves, which warmed her from the inside when she inhaled. Every inch of her skin buzzed and tingled from his nearness.
    The last thing she was expecting happened. She felt his body heat draw closer to her, surrounding her face and neck. His fingers caressed her cheek, brushing her skin until he massaged the back of her neck. The air in her lungs seemed to leave her and her heart raced. He didn’t tug, but she felt her body sway toward his. Into his warmth.
    Her lips tingled when his touched them. The contact was barely there. She felt him inhale, her body instantly responded with a wave of desire snaking through her. She was so close to him, she couldn’t resist. Instead of pulling back, she leaned into him and kissed him. After all, if this was how he needed to read her heart to help her win Bill over, then who was she to argue.
    Jerod made a strange noise deep in his chest when Viola opened her mouth. His goatee tickled her chin at first, but she quickly grew to enjoy the sensation. His body stiffened when she ran