Can't Shake You by Molly McLain Read Free Book Online

Carissa shook her head. She’d gotten herself into this mess, she’d get herself out.
    “If what’s behind that wall is illegal, I’ll sue you. I don’t think you want that blemish on your record.” She shot him a challenging stare and he growled like a provoked animal. “I’ll take that as a guilty concession and give you until the end of the day to be out of here.”
    “You’re only screwing yourself,” Alex ground out. “It’s the middle of June. Prime time for construction. You’re never gonna find someone else to take on this shithole.”
    Carissa held her head high, though the lump in her throat made it difficult. “I’ll be back at five. I expect you to be gone.” And with that, she turned and walked out. She barely made it to the front porch before the waterworks began. Two times in one day. Pathetic.
    “Carissa, wait.” Reed was on her heels. “I’m sorry. This isn’t how I saw things going down.”
    She held up a hand and kept moving toward her car. She needed to get out of there. She needed... God, she needed a freaking place to live and now she had to deal with this. It was too much. Way too much.
    But then a thought struck her and she swung around, brow furrowed. “Who tipped you off?”
    Reed slowed to a halt several feet away. “No one wants to see you get shafted, Car. We’re just looking out for you.”
    We . As in the dynamic duo. Carissa cursed. “I’m going to kill him.”
    Visions of Josh Hudson turning ‘round on a spit flitted through her head, quickly followed by ones of him strung up by his balls.
    “Carissa, come on. You’ve gotta understand—” Reed stepped closer, but she held up a warning finger to keep him at bay.
    “I’ve invested almost everything I have into this house. I don’t have to understand anything.” Then she climbed into her car, hell bent on kicking some meddling contractor ass once and for all.

Chapter Five
    T hree years earlier, 12:10 a.m.
    Due at Pendleton in less than two weeks, the last thing on earth he needed was to get involved with a woman like Carissa, who’d never before gone home with a guy she’d just met, he’d bet his business on it.
    Yet, there they were, hands tangled, as she led him out of McCauley’s Pub. The night sky was clear overhead and its crystalline stars and bright moonlight only added to the clarity he’d felt the moment his brother’s girlfriend introduced them. Mine.
    She pulled him along, past the few vehicles remaining in the parking lot, and he barely contained a chuckle at her haste. When he tugged at her hand, she looked back, her long, dark hair whirling around her face, her eyes wide.
    “We’re over here.” He redirected her with a tip of his head.
    “Oh.” She pursed her lips and he’d bet an adorable blush covered her cheeks too. He wanted to tell her exactly how hot her wanton urgency made him, but he had to get this right. Needed to be a gentleman. Needed to slow down and make every second with her count.
    “I know. I feel it too.” He stepped in, lowered his forehead to hers, and raised his free hand to the side of her face. Her skin felt so incredibly soft beneath his fingers, and damn if she didn’t smell amazing. Like wildflowers—sweet pea maybe and vanilla. He threaded his hand back into her hair, pulled her flush against him and, just as he’d suspected, they fit perfectly together.
    You’re so screwed, bro.
    “I’ve never done this.” Her whisper was a warm caress against his face, as her fingers found his chest and fisted his shirt. “I mean, I have, but not like this.”
    “I know,” he said again, grinning his primal satisfaction in that little detail. A solitary nod of his head forced hers up and back, opening her mouth to his. Sliding his other arm beneath her ass, he lifted her off the ground and gave them a taste of what they both wanted.
    The sensual glide of her tongue against his was like heaven. Slow and promising, yet hot and sinful at the same time. The