Charlie's Last Stand by Isabelle Flynn Read Free Book Online Page A

attraction was completely one-sided and
things between them were never meant to be more than just a really great
friendship.
    Slowly she sank into the comfortable feeling of having a
sexy man attend to her. They had a great meal and then an awesome date perusing
the shelves of a little independent bookstore. They sipped coffee and chatted
about their favorite books. He loved science fiction and fantasy while she
stuck to anything with a happy ending. Somewhere in between their tastes, they
found books they both enjoyed and discussed at length.
    After they finished their coffee, he took her to his house,
a small ranch not far from the shore. She looked at his bookshelves while he
poured them two glasses of wine.
    She lifted a picture of him on a motorcycle, a little boy
seated in front of him.
    He came up behind her, his voice only inches from her ear. “It
was just for the photo. I swear I didn't actually take my nephew out on my
bike.”
    She laughed a little but his closeness kept her on edge. “I
figured. He's a cute kid.”
    He wrapped his hands around her upper arms and pulled her
back into him. She stiffened. He was so awesome and hot and, damn, did he look
sexy on the motorcycle with his nephew.
    But she wasn't ready.
    He slid her hair out of the way and kissed the spot below
her ear. She bumped his chin and spun out of his arms. “I'm sorry.”
    “It's okay.” He rubbed the dimple in his chin. “Too fast?”
    “I'm just a little nervous. This is the first date since my
divorce.” And she felt like a complete idiot. She walked away. Her ex had
nothing to do with it but he was a convenient excuse.
    She hadn't realized that Rob had crossed the room until he
touched her upper arm. “It gets easier, you know.” He linked his hand with hers
and brought her over to the couch.
    “You're divorced.”
    “Five years. You get to the point where you've been apart
longer than you were together and you realize that you might not be the person
you were before but you kind of like the person you've become.”
    They sat together on the couch for a few minutes in silence
and it was totally okay. She settled into the feeling. “Thank you for
understanding.”
    “No problem. We'll take it slow.” He waited a few seconds
before continuing. “How is it working with your ex?”
    “He left town before the divorce was even final. I haven't
heard from him in over a year.”
    Rob leaned back and quirked his head. “You mean the doc
isn't your ex?”
    “No.” She shook her head. “Why would you think that?”
    “Oh, he just seemed to be giving off this vibe that he
didn't approve of me.”
    “I don't know why. He's been friends with my brother
forever. He helped me get back on my feet, gave me a job when I needed it. He's
been in a mood all day. I wouldn't take it personally.”
    “Okay. Well, are you still up for a movie?”
    At least some of the awkwardness had faded. “Absolutely.”
    They spent the next half hour looking through an instant
video queue online to pick out a movie they'd both enjoy. In the end, they
chose an action adventure film that satisfied both of their interests and he
set it up to stream to his huge flat screen.
    It wasn't until twenty minutes into the movie that she
noticed how stiff and distracted he'd become. He looked unwell. He rubbed his
mouth a few times. When the screen lit up with explosions, she noticed little
droplets of sweat on his forehead.
    “Rob, are you okay?”
    He looked away from the movie. “I'm fine. Why do you ask?”
    “You look a little...off.”
    “I'm good.” He said it with absolute certainty but she
didn't believe him. Indian food didn't agree with everyone and they'd eaten
there at her suggestion. “Was it dinner?”
    “I'm fine, Charlie. Really. I enjoyed our meal. Don't worry.”
    She leaned back, his hand settled along her shoulder, and
they watched the movie in silence for another twenty minutes before Rob excused
himself.
    She didn't need to be told that he