Heat of the Night by Elle Kennedy Read Free Book Online Page A

“If we keep doing that, we’ll never get to the hospital.” He reached his arm around her and gave her butt a little slap. “Let’s get a move on.”
    “Do we have to?”
    “Yep. Don’t worry, Annie, it’ll be fun.”
    She didn’t bother to correct him this time. He’d simply pick another annoying nickname if she said anything, and truth be told, she was beginning to like it. Nobody had ever called her Annie before. Her mother maintained that the nickname sounded too “common”. Annabelle, on the other hand, now that was a name that screamed wealth, according to Sandra Holmes.
    Ryan waited somewhat impatiently as Annabelle got dressed upstairs, but she refused to rush. She still wasn’t sure why he insisted she come with him. She didn’t know any of his friends, and the birth of a child seemed like a rather inappropriate place to bring a girl you’d only known for two days. Yet for some reason, she wanted to go. She liked Ryan. She was drawn to him. And she couldn’t help but be curious about his life, about him.
    They left the building fifteen minutes later, and Ryan led her to an olive-green Jeep parked at the back of the lot. He didn’t open the passenger door for her, and she resisted making a sarcastic remark about chivalry. Bryce always opened her door, and it drove her crazy. She was perfectly capable of opening her own door, and when Bryce did it, there was nothing chivalrous about it. It felt more patronizing if anything.
    “So what’s the deal with this Bryce guy?” Ryan asked as he started the engine. “Am I helping you cheat on him? ’Cuz I’m not sure how I feel about that. I do have a moral code, you know.”
    She grinned. “Yeah, I’m sure you do.” The smile faded as she pondered his question. She’d told him about Bryce earlier, but mostly skimmed over the details. “I guess Bryce and I are broken up.”
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    Heat of the Night
    He shot her a sideways look before turning his attention back to the road ahead. “Were you really engaged?”
    “Pretty much since we were six years old,” she said wryly. “He officially asked me two years ago.
    Our parents were thrilled.”
    “Your parents aren’t the ones getting married. How did you feel about it?” Ryan asked quietly.
    She bit her bottom lip. “I…was happy, I guess. I’ve wanted to marry Bryce since we were kids. I thought he was a wonderful guy.”
    “Thought?” Ryan echoed, picking up on the past tense.
    To her dismay, they reached a red light, which allowed him to turn his head and study her. His blue eyes flickered with curiosity, and discomfort rose up her spine. The last thing she wanted to do was tell Ryan about Bryce’s parting words, about what a priss she supposedly was.
    “He said some mean things before he left,” she finally admitted.
    Ryan’s jaw hardened. “What kind of mean things?”
    She shrugged and casually glanced out the window. “You know, about me, and our sex life, and…”
    She suddenly gritted her teeth. To hell with it. “He pretty much called me a prude, okay?”
    Ryan was silent for a few seconds. Then he burst out laughing.
    “It’s not funny,” she said, her cheeks burning up.
    “Sure it is.” He chuckled again. “It’s also not true . Don’t tell me you believed him, babe.”
    Annabelle didn’t answer.
    “You did, didn’t you?” Ryan said, sounding amazed. “Is that why you wrote that list? Come on, Annabelle, you should know better than to listen to some asshole. I just spent the entire day and night with you, and I can assure you, you’re no prude.”
    “Um, thanks?”
    They reached the hospital and Ryan parked the Jeep. Shutting off the engine, he looked at her and shook his head. “Don’t even think about that ass anymore, okay? Because I know for a fact that you’re the sexiest, hottest, wildest fuck a guy could ever have.”
    Despite the lewd description, she found herself laughing. Her heart may have skipped a couple of beats