Dangerous Promise by Gwendolyn Cease by Gwendolyn Cease Read Free Book Online Page A

her heart jumped as if he’d run his hand over her bare skin. She had to get a hold of herself, but the image of the two of them tangled, naked, as he ran his hands and mouth over her body invaded her mind. Instantly, she slammed the door on those thoughts, but when she looked up, she found him watching her. Slowly, a smile spread over his face as if he could read her mind.
    Turning away, she slid into the booth and busied herself with helping the girls get their silverware out of their napkins. Damn it, she thought, get ahold of yourself. It’s a stupid date, nothing more.
    “I brought you something,” Olivia announced, as she dug into the bag she carried.
    “You didn’t need to do that,” Grimm said.
    Kate heard a slight strain in his voice, and she turned to look at him. Emotions flittered over his face, and she wished like hell she knew what he was thinking, feeling.
    Olivia pulled out a book and handed it to him across the table. “It’s the first Calena the Vampire book. I thought you might want to read it since you remind me so much of her dad, Stark. Then we can talk about the books together.”
    He accepted the book and studied the black and hot-pink cover. Two young girls stood arm and arm, one obviously human and the other with tiny fangs, but both had big smiles. “I’d very much like to read the book. Thank you for sharing it with me.”
    “Just let me know when you’re finished and I can lend you the next one.”
    “It won’t take me long. I like to read.”
    She beamed at him and turned to tuck her small bag under her coat. Kate touched his arm and when he turned, she smiled at him and mouthed a thank you.
    “For what?” He leaned in close to whisper to her.
    “She loves those books and never shares them with anyone. So thank you for accepting it,” she whispered back.
    “I might like them, too. You never can tell.”
    Kate tried to force back a shiver as Grimm’s hot breath fanned her neck and ear. She wanted nothing more than to lean into him and let him murmur against her skin all night long. The man was so sexy and once again she wondered why he was here with her. She wasn’t the type of woman beautiful, dangerous, sexy men went after. Yet, here he sat, having dinner with her and two small children. And from what she could tell, he was enjoying himself. Go figure.
    The waitress walked up to the table and smiled broadly. At Grimm. “Good evening. What can I do for you?”
    Kate almost snorted. She imagined the girl wanted him to do quite a bit by the way she licked her lips and smiled. But Kate had to admit, the girl was pretty and blonde. Yeah, men so went for blondes, especially if they had boobs, like this girl did.
    She felt Grimm slide his arm around her as he leaned in. “What do you ladies want?”
    Kate turned and found him watching her, not even glancing at the waitress. The image of him spread out naked across crisp white sheets popped into her mind. She blinked and tried to think of something to say, but he gave her a slow smile.
    Leaning in he whispered in her ear, “What do you want that the waitress can bring you?”
    Color climbed up Kate’s neck to spread across her face. She really wanted to say something, but her mind remained empty.
    “Can I have a peach iced tea?” Abby asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
    “Of course,” Grimm said. “I’ll have one, too, sounds good.”
    “Me, too,” Olivia said with a smile. “What’re you going to have, Momma?”
    “I’ll have the same thing.”
    “I’ll be back with your drinks,” the girl said with a tight smile and walked away.
    By the time their drinks arrived and the waitress took their orders, Kate had herself back under control. She needed to stop acting like some half-witted teenager. She was an adult with two children. Yes, the man she was sitting with was the hottest human being she’d ever seen, but there was no reason to act as if she’d never been on a date before. She imagined women threw