Christmas in Whitehorn by Susan Mallery Read Free Book Online Page B

position. It was going to be a long day.
    Cold water on her face and a vigorous teeth-brushing didn't make her feel any better. Normally she waited until she was at the Hip Hop to have coffee, but this morning she needed an emergency infusion. Maybe a jolt of caffeine would jump-start her body. She pulled on her ratty terry-cloth robe and stumbled into the kitchen.
    After flipping on lights and hunting up the coffee-maker, she dug out a filter and coffee, then set about making magic. She'd just turned on the machine when there was a soft tap at her back door.
    Darcy froze. She knew she hadn't imagined the sound. She also had a really good idea of who would come calling at five in the morning, although she couldn't figure out why. Then she pictured herself – her hair sticking out at odd angles, her skin pale as chalk, her shabby blue robe that would have disappeared instantly into the throw- out pile should she ever try to give it to charity.
    Perfect. This was so exactly how she wan - ted to start her day.
    Trying – and failing – to find humor in the situation, she walked to the back door and cautiously peeked outside. Sure enough Detective Mark Kincaid stood there, his handsome self dressed in sweats that should have looked horrible but instead made her mouth water. She opened the door.
    "Did you have an appointment?" she asked before she could stop herself.
    He smiled. Instantly her heart jumped into her throat and her ability to form whole sentences dove for her toes. It was not a pleasant sensation.
    "I've been watching your house, waiting for you to wake up," he said, sliding past her and entering the kitchen. "I figured you'd have to get up early."
    She closed the door and pulled her robe more tightly around herself. "Okay. I'm up and you're here. Why?"
    Instead of answering, he pulled her against him. She had absolutely no warning and no way to stop his mouth from settling against hers. She told herself to protest, or at the very least, not to melt. Her body didn't listen. Instead of pushing him away, her arms wrapped around him and held on as tightly as his. Instead of yelling out a complaint, her mouth simply softened, then parted to admit him. She went from numb to alive in .8 seconds. He was better than a double latte.
    He tasted of mint and coffee, a surprisingly pleasant combination. The fingers of one hand tangled in her messy hair while his other hand rested on her rear. She felt herself both heating and readying, as if they were going to make love this morning. Right here in her kitchen. Was that more or less tacky than the sofa?
    "Wait one darn minute!"
    She managed to gather a few threads of common sense and shove him away. She kept her gaze fixed firmly on his face, knowing that if she looked down she would see visual proof of what she'd just felt against her stomach.
    He swore softly. "Darcy, I'm sorry. That's not why I'm here." He half turned from her. "I really wanted to talk about last night."
    "There's nothing to say."
    "Sure there is."
    He looked at her and she noticed that while he'd shaved, he hadn't showered. He looked rumpled and too sexy for words. At that moment, she would have sold her soul to be with him. Fortunately, no one ap - peared with a contract and she was able to at least act disinterested.
    He stared into her eyes. "About two this morning I realized I'd been completely irresponsible."
    Oh. That. "I know." She folded her arms over her chest. "We're both old enough to know better. I can't believe I had unprotected sex."
    "I'm sorry. It was my fault."
    She wished that were true. If only she could blame all of this on him. "No. I was a party to what went on. I didn't think about it, either."
    He took a step toward her. "I'm okay. You won't catch anything from me. But there's another consideration."
    For a second she thought he was politely asking about her health status. "I haven't been with anyone in—" She paused before she actually said "years" then continued. "There's no