Bachelor's Special by Christine Warner Read Free Book Online Page A

against her, telling her without words how she affected him.
    Jill shoved him away, wiping her fingers down her face to clear it of soup. A swipe over the top of her head dislodged a large portion of goop. She discarded the remains in the bar sink, the sloppy wet sound punctuating her decision. She met his heated gaze, orange smeared across his cheeks, mouth, and nose. Soup fingerprints dotted the front of his shirt where she’d grabbed to drag him close. Evidence of her loss of control.
    She brushed the clammy skin of her forearm across her lips in an attempt to remove his taste, which she doubted she’d ever be able to do.
    “What?” The sex-filled throb of his voice shook her knees.
    “This is so not going to happen.” She grabbed the dish towel lying on the counter and cleaned off her face as best she could without a mirror.
    “Why? We’re both adults, and from where I stand I’d say we were both enjoying it.”
    She ignored his remark. Although he stated the obvious, she wasn’t about to agree. When she flung the towel onto the smooth countertop, he snagged it and wiped it across his face.
    The idea that his face touched where hers had been moments ago sent flares of awareness shooting through her veins. She couldn’t tell whether his actions or her own treacherous thoughts turned her on.
    “You’re my boss, and this crosses a very fine line.” Her stomach lurched at the thought of the men she’d worked for in the past. They’d tried for weeks, without success, to get her to do what Chet managed in seconds the first time and less than twenty-four hours the second.
    He tossed the towel on the counter. “I’m attracted to you, and after that zipper-popping kiss, I’m going to assume the feeling’s mutual.”
    “That’s neither here nor there. I don’t mess around with someone I work with and definitely not someone I work for .” Jill jumped off the counter and pushed past him. She feared she’d combust from the friction of her heartbeat working against the rush of heated blood in her veins.
    “I really don’t fall into either category. We don’t work together, and I’m far from your boss.” His voice held a tinge of humor laced with steel. “This is strictly a business arrangement.”
    “That might be worse.”
    He moved toward her. “Jill—”
    “I’m tired of men assuming because I’m a woman, because of the way I look, that I’m open to a sexual relationship with them to get ahead.”
    “What are you talking about? Who said anything about getting ahead?” He brushed his hand through his hair, confusion littering his face.
    “Is this the payback you’re expecting? You offer to help me with my catering business, even so far as co-signing for a loan, and all I have to do is lay back, close my eyes, and grit my teeth while you have your way with me?”
    A vein hammered along the side of his neck. “I seriously doubt you’ll be gritting your teeth, unless it’s to stop yourself from screaming my name.”
    “Oh—” She fought to fill her lungs. “You pig.”
    “Hardly. I’m just not sugarcoating it. Don’t act like I’m your first kiss, Jill. With your looks and the way you react to my touch and move against me, you’re no wallflower.”
    “What the hell are you implying?”
    “Not what you’re thinking, that’s for damn sure.”
    Not that she’d tell him, but her reaction wasn’t typical. He evoked her heated response, and it scared her. “From your conversation earlier, I’m assuming this is the normal route for you. Wasn’t it you who said women are only good for two things? Your poor housekeeper—”
    “Gretchen?”
    “I haven’t met her yet, but she probably has to fight you off with her broom and dustpan.”
    Chet laughed. Not a soft chuckle, but a sound that came straight from his gut. “I don’t think Gretchen will appreciate that. As for what you overheard? Strictly boys talk. Brother to brother.”
    “And that’s an excuse?”
    “There’s