Haze of Heat by Jennifer Dellerman Read Free Book Online

with vitality.
    Taking her first bite of one of the cookies, Rachel moaned and her eyes fluttered with pleasure as the taste exploded on her tongue. Oatmeal with cranberries and oh, so heavenly. She savored a moment before taking another bite, making a mental note to tell Annie she was a culinary goddess.
    Swinging her head around to the left, she could make out part of a two-story house she’d spotted from the front, several metal buildings, and the barn.
    It was the last that brought Porter to mind. Barn. Horse. Porter.
    Porter , her cat purred.
    Rachel rolled her eyes. Oh, come on. He’s just a guy. A very hot guy to be sure, but still a guy.
    If a feline could flounce, hers did.
    “Fine. Go ahead and sulk,” Rachel muttered out loud.
    Movement from below and off to her left caught her eye. A male figure came into view, his confident stride fluid, his steps unerring.
    It didn’t take but a second to realize it was Porter. Her heart skipped a beat and then began to race.
    Great , Rachel thought with a frown, annoyed at her physical reaction to the man, especially as her nipples pebbled under her bra. You’ve conjured him.
    Her cat seemed to smirk. You’ll see soon enough.
    A comment which only caused Rachel’s frown to deepen into a scowl. Abruptly, Porter stopped in his tracks and turned around, his gaze seeking her out. A wide grin split his face. “Hey.”
    He walked over to stand under her balcony, legs spread for balance, hands on his hips, head tipped back. The position put the strong cords of his neck in sharp relief and for a moment, Rachel couldn’t look away. She had the sudden urge to run her tongue along his throat, taking small nips of his skin as she licked the salt from his body.
    “Hey, yourself.” Was her voice on the husky side? She cleared it.
    “That one of Annie’s?”
    Rachel followed his gaze to the remainder of the cookie in her hand. “It is. Oatmeal cranberry.”
    The appreciative sound deep in his throat made Rachel shiver from her ears to the tips of her toes. “I’m starving. How about a bite?”
    His eyes were no longer on the cookie, but on her mouth. Another shiver threatened to send arousal into a level that would be hard for a shifter to miss.
    Talk about embarrassing.
    “Didn’t your mom ever tell you that you couldn’t have dessert until you finished dinner?”
    His eyes darkened and flicked slowly over her as she leaned on the railing. “Dessert’s the best part.”
    Heat rushed into places it had no business rushing. This was beyond ridiculous. Porter was just a guy!
    “Yes, it is,” she agreed, right before stuffing the rest of the cookie in her mouth.
    Porter laid his hands over his heart, giving her a long-suffering expression. “You wound me, my lady.”
    “Somehow I doubt that,” she said around a mouthful of oatmeal.
    “Since you’ve deprived me of nourishment, the least you could do is let down your hair so I may climb up and gain sustenance by drinking in your beauty.”
    Rachel felt her lips tug at the corners, charmed despite the corny come-on. But she found she rather enjoyed being on the receiving end of such obvious male attention. The men she usually attracted tended to be of the more cerebral type, like the engineer, accountant, or the astronomy professor she’d dated. Quiet men who thought more about the inner workings of inanimate objects, money, or the stars than they did Rachel.
    So she took in the blatant, over-the-top flattery and let her heart secretly sigh, even as she quirked one brow in reproach. “You are so odd. Does that really work?”
    Unrepentant, Porter winked. “Invite me up and we’ll find out.”
    She couldn’t help herself. She laughed. “You’re a scamp, Porter Felix. And the answer is no. Absolutely not.”
    Before he could lobby another volley, Rachel heard the oddest sound. “What is that?” She leaned further over the railing as music drifted up.
    “I’ll kill her,” Porter mumbled, his cheeks flushing a