Bound by Love's Gravity by Mia Ashlinn Read Free Book Online Page B

pleasure. So he peeked over his shoulder. When he saw her, he barked a laugh. She was red, really, really red.
    Clearly surprised by his out-of-character explosion, Sarah frowned. “What?” she asked as another rush of red claimed her face.
    He laughed harder. God, it felt good to laugh. He’d gotten so used to being serious all the time that he hadn’t remembered how much fun laughter could be. “I’ve never heard you say the word spank ,” he replied amusedly.
    Scowling, Sarah put her hands on her hips. “I can say that word.”
    Sure, she could say it. Only she rarely did. He also noticed that she hadn’t repeated herself, opting to say that word instead. He arched one eyebrow. “Say it again.”
    Her lips curved upward, and his heart skipped a beat. “Spank.”
    Deke had to bite back a groan as blood rushed from his head straight to his cock. Just one word off her lush coral lips, and he was ready to fuck. Eyeballing her petite body, he thought it was rather sad that the little innocent had no clue the kind of seductive power she had over him. If she did… Well, he would be fucked in every way possible.
    Deke swallowed hard. “I think we need to take a break. Why don’t you go into the living room? I can get us something to drink from the refrigerator.”
    “Nope, no can do,” she replied. “It’s empty.”
    Shit . He was stuck. “No problem.”
    She gave him a sly smile, clearly understanding that he wanted away from her.
    They lapsed into silence again as they resumed working. But he kept finding his eyes straying toward her, watching her flutter around the kitchen like a brilliant butterfly. She moved with a simple grace, an unconscious fluidity that entranced him, and he couldn’t stop himself from staring.
    Cursing, Deke forced himself to focus on his job, not on Sarah or the warmth she awakened within him.
    Out of the blue, Sarah asked, “Deke, why do you avoid me?”
    Talk about a loaded question. “I don’t avoid you.”
    “Sure you don’t.”
    “I’m just busy. You know that.”
    “Sure you are.”
    He growled. “I am.”
    Deke really was busy. He ran several multimillion-dollar companies with the help of a few very attentive employees. Those didn’t include the various properties that he and Adam owned throughout the United States. Someone in his position didn’t have much time to play. Or at least, that’s what he kept telling himself.
    “Could you put this in the cabinet with my tea supplies?” Sarah asked, appearing at his side unexpectedly. With a small smile, she offered him the hunter-green teapot he’d gotten her for Christmas last year.
    Deke smiled in remembrance. Only Sarah would ask him and Adam for something as simple as a teapot when they could have gotten her anything money could buy. Of course, they’d gotten her exactly what she asked for as well as a whole host of other things. But she’d still been more excited about her teapot than anything else. Deke could still see the way her eyes lit up and feel the shy hug she’d given him.
    Shaking his head as though it would banish the memory, Deke took the pot by its handle and put it away like she’d asked before going back to work on the last of his boxes. Lucky me. He knew he should feel relieved that they were nearly done, but he wasn’t. He wanted to stay longer. He wanted to stay forever.
    Even though he knew it was a bad idea, Deke slowed down drastically. He carefully unwrapped every item as though he were handling the most expensive china then positioned the gadgets in their appropriate places. Only he took an excessive amount of time to do so.
    When he finished, he said, “I think that’s all,” before spinning to face her. “How about you?”
    She shrugged as she glanced around. “I guess so.”
    He heard the melancholy in her tone, and he wanted nothing more than to erase it. But he couldn’t. He knew that. “Well, I need to get back to work,” he said. He despised the way his voice stalled out