Blueprint for Love by Chanta Jefferson Rand Read Free Book Online

not bothered by them. Please let it go. They’re the ones
with the problem, not me.
    Still, it’s fucking rude.
    I don’t care about them. What I do care
about is how you got that lipstick on your cheek.
    Vic frowned, wondering what she was talking
about. And then he remembered. Ronnie had kissed him on the cheek
after he’d dropped her at the hotel.
    Oh, that. I can explain.
    For the next ten minutes, Vic launched into
his short history with Ronnie, including everything from the
interview to how she’d manipulated him into taking her to her
sister’s event. He also told her how he’d nicknamed Ms. Jones the
Ice Queen.
    Andrea laughed so hard, tears filled her
eyes.
    Are you going to see her
again? Andrea signed.
    It wasn’t a date, Sis. It was more like a
comedy of errors.
    Makes a great story for your grandkids.
    He reached across the
table and felt her forehead. That’s it.
You’ve obviously been taking some type of mind-altering
drug.
    No, just a little pot.
    “ What?” he yelled, and
then forgot he was supposed to be signing. Don’t tell me. Your new guy has you doing this?
    It helps me fit in.
    He shook his head. You need to leave that shit alone.
    She pouted. If I weren’t deaf would you feel that
way?
    Yes.
    When did you become such a prude?
    When I learned that one wrong move could put
me behind bars.
    That wasn’t your
fault. She touched his hand in a
sympathetic gesture.
    Too bad the jury didn’t see it that way.
    You were protecting me.
    He sighed, pushing away
feelings of melancholy and bitterness that had eaten at him for too
long. You don’t look like you need
protecting, Andrea. Your life has gone on without me.
    It was true. She was
changing from a caterpillar to a butterfly. It was her idea to get
voice recognition software that translated her text to speech. It
also translated his voice into text for her , so they could have a real phone
conversation. Of course, he knew the digital voice wasn’t his
sister’s real voice. But it showed how determined she was to be her
own woman.
    Unshed tears glistened in
her green eyes. It was the one family trait they shared—other than
having the same mother. I’ll always need
my big brother, she said, reading his
mind.
    Promise?
    Promise.
    That was good to hear. The thought of seeing
his sister again was what kept Vic going all these years. He’d do
anything to protect her. He had the prison record to prove it.
    Let’s get you back before Mom puts out a
missing person’s report.
    She
smiled . Okay, but Vic…
    Yeah?
    You should call that lady back and tell her
you want the job. She owes you.
    Ronnie had said the same thing—she owed him
big time. He didn’t look at it like that. He’d just happened to be
there when Ronnie Jones needed his help. Besides, something told
him the woman didn’t want him around. He knew her type. She was the
kind who liked things all nice, neat and orderly. Tied up with a
pretty red bow. Vic was neat, and he could be nice. But he was far
from orderly. Someone like him just didn’t fit in the Ice Queen’s
world.
     
     
     

FIVE
     
     
    Ronnie poked at the
southwest omelet on her plate. This was normally her favorite menu
item at Jimmy’s Eastside Diner, but this morning, her mind was
preoccupied with something else. Or rather someone else. Vic Romano. What was
he doing right now? Where had he gone after he’d dropped her off
last night? She still felt the warmth of his touch. She didn’t know
if he noticed or not, but his fingers absently rubbed her bare back
for a few moments after he’d placed her on the back seat. The
hungry look he’d given her made her new panties wet. And she’d
simply stared back, like she was in a lust-induced coma. She’d hate
to think what would have happened if they’d been alone. He could
have lain her down and spread her legs and…
    She gulped her orange juice, ashamed of her
reaction to him. For one brief moment, she hadn’t wanted him to
leave. Better yet, they could have