Falling for the Wingman (The Kelly Brothers, Book 3) by Crista McHugh Read Free Book Online Page A

it will keep you from making a big mistake.
    “True, but…” He stabbed his spoon into the cobbler and pushed it away. “I just hope I find the answers sooner rather than later.”
    “Just stick to my plan, and you’ll have your chance to talk to Kourtney by Wednesday.”
    “And what if I want to talk to her now?”
    Panic gripped her stomach so tightly, not even Miss Ada’s famous peach cobbler could entice her to take another bite. “Patience, Caleb. This is my sister we’re talking about. Right now, she’s still perfectly content with the son of the richest man in town. You need to make her jealous, to show her what she’s missing out on if you want to have a chance with her.”
    His brows furrowed together again. “I just hate the idea of deceiving her. There’s something wrong about lying to get someone to fall in love with you.”
    A new knot twisted in Alex’s stomach. Considering that she was the one who’d sent all those emails to him, the last nine months had been one big deception, and she was at the heart of it. And even he did come to his senses about Kourtney, would he want her after learning about all the lies she’d been feeding him?
    “Let’s just go.” She pulled out her wallet and left enough money on the table to cover the check and tip.
    “I was going to pay for dinner.”
    “No, it was my idea.” She rubbed her arms, wishing she could blame her sudden case of chills on the air conditioner that blasted through the café.
    He slid out of the booth and offered his hand, but she didn’t take it.
    “Bye, Alex,” Miss Ada called from behind the counter.
    Alex gave a weak wave and headed for the door, fully aware of all the eyes that were following her.
    Caleb caught her as soon as they were outside. “What just happened in there?”
    She tried to shrug him off, but he pulled her back against his chest and wrapped his arms around her waist. She couldn’t escape, but at least she didn’t have to look him in the eye when she came clean. “You’re right—we shouldn’t have to conjure some huge deception to make someone fall in love with us.”
    He stilled behind her, the only movement coming from the rise and fall of his chest. Then he lifted her chin and used it to slowly turn her around. “Alex, I’m sorry.”
    “For what?”
    “For asking you to be my wingman. For putting you between me and your sister. For upsetting you after you’d worked so hard on your plan to help me get her back.”
    She bit her bottom lip to keep from asking him why the hell he still wanted Kourtney. “It’s fine, Caleb. I knew what I was getting myself into. Besides, who’s to say my plan would’ve worked anyway? After all, why should you want me, especially after you’ve had her? They probably think you’ve lost your mind in there.”
    That same puzzled expression returned. “You think you’re inferior to your sister?”
    “Well, physically, yeah. I mean, I can’t compete with her bazookas, much less anything else. She got all the looks.”
    “Oh, Alex, don’t ever think that.” He tucked a strand of her untamed red hair behind her ear and gave her a gentle smile that thankfully didn’t contain an ounce of pity. “You are definitely a sexy woman in your own way.”
    “Yeah, if by sexy, you mean my ability to tell the make and model of a car by just the sound of its engine.”
    His grin widened until it crinkled his nose. “I find that very sexy.”
    “You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”
    “Is it working?”
    Her lips twitched. Caleb Kelly could charm the panties off a nun, but Alex couldn’t help but notice the way he drew her closer into his embrace rather than maintaining that “just friends” distance she was all too familiar with. She wound her hands around his neck, watching for any sign that she was taking things too far. “Maybe.”
    “Then maybe I should keep going.” He bent his head and kissed her.
    Alex sucked in a breath and held it, wishing she