Getting Lucky by Susan Andersen Read Free Book Online Page A

as if he was in the wrong when he knew damn good and well that she was the one playing all the angles?
    “So that’s Lily, huh?”
    Zach blew out a breath and turned to look at his friend. “Yeah.”
    “ Hoo -ahh,” Rocket breathed. “Now that’s lethal stuff.” He reached over to punch Zach on the arm. “But my money’s on you, buddy. You’ll have her disarmed in no time.” He cocked a dense black eyebrow. “That is, if you start thinking with something besides your dick. What’s the matter with you, anyway? I’ve never seen you like this, never heard you be anything but polite to a woman, no matter what her agenda. You gotta quit letting this one mess with your head.”
    Then he bared his teeth. “Lucky for you, you’ve got me at your back. You’ve established you’re the bad guy. Now it’s time for ol’ brother John to see what he can learn.”

4
    L ILY WAS PANTING IN ABSOLUTE FURY BY THE TIME she closed the door at her back. He was a pig ! A pig, a pig, a pig ! Where did he get off treating her like that?
    Well, he won. She’d pack her bags and start looking for another place this afternoon. It just chapped her hide to let him run her off this way, but she couldn’t take it any more. She simply wasn’t built for this kind of confrontation.
    Unlike last night, when she’d thrown everything she owned into her case, she began gathering together only the nonessentials she could live without for a while, so she’d be ready to move at a moment’s notice. But she made a face as she retrieved her luggage from the closet. This was way too reminiscent of her life growing up, when a year rarely went by without her restless parents telling her to pack her things because they were moving on. She’d learned at a young age never to get too comfortable in any one place, so heaven knew she had a decent grasp on what was necessary in order to get by for a day or two, and what were just extras.
    She’d really thought all that was finally behind her, though. Until her apartment went condo, she’d lived in the same place for seven years, a record for someone who had gone to eleven different schools in six different states—and that wasn’t counting two culinary schools. When Glynnis invited her to stay in this lovely oceanfront home, she’d appreciated it more than she could say and had truly hoped her next move would be her last. Ideally, when she found her restaurant, it would combine a living area with the commercial space. She’d planned to search for the perfect spot as soon as she got back from her next cruise.
    Lily gave herself a mental shake. Well, sometimes things didn’t work out; no one knew that better than she. That didn’t mean she intended to go off half-cocked and storm out without a plan. Mimi would undoubtedly let her camp out on her couch for a few days, but she wanted to reserve that option as a last resort. First, she’d check out the ads to see what was available without a lease.
    Merely thinking about it made her tired, though, so she flipped open her luggage on the bedspread and began filling it. She’d start with something a little less stressful.
    She was piling most of her collection of pretty lingerie into one corner of the case, thinking she really ought to rummage through the three-car garage for some boxes, when her gaze was caught by an envelope sticking up out of one of the suitcase’s little gathered pockets.
    Her hands stilled for a moment over the heap of silkies and lace. Funny, she didn’t remember tucking anything away in there. Then she shrugged. It was probably an old greeting card that had gotten swept up and tossed wily-nilly into the case when she was snatchingup stuff last night. Since she rarely hung on to things—a habit left over from her days of keeping extras to a minimum—it was likely not even hers.
    She was just reaching for it to check it out when a knock sounded at the door. She whirled to face it, the card promptly forgotten. “Go away,” she