HellKat by Robyn Roze Read Free Book Online Page B

ambitious, successful, well educated, polite, regular haircuts, clean-shaven, no hint of arrogance, and no cowboy boots. And he didn’t delight in pissing her off.
    Yeah, she’d added new items to the list. And, as another checkmark on her revised tally, Grant had gotten Cassie’s seal of approval. Always good to have.
    But the real shocker remained Sarah James. The woman adored Grant, almost embarrassingly so. In fact, Kat believed her mother liked him better than her. After all, marrying off her spinster daughter before her eggs expired ranked as Sarah James’s number-one priority. And Kat had grown weary over the years with the parade of New York’s most eligible bachelors—or highest bidders, as she referred to them—whom her overbearing mother foisted upon her without the slightest regard, or warning. Of course, Kat had time on her side. At her age, bachelors without children and alimony landed high on the endangered species list, making her mother’s mission nearly impossible at this point.
    So, when Grant Collins had rescued her by parachuting into her life, she’d hoped her matchmaking mother might finally ease up.
    Yet, she and Grant still hadn’t hit the sheets. She hadn’t even invited him up for drinks. They’d been seeing each other for over a month, and she knew had they met earlier, before him , they would’ve had toothbrushes at each other’s apartments by now.
    She chastised herself for delaying the sex and honeymoon phase of their new relationship. The fun never lasted, of course, but she still enjoyed every second until the masks came off. But so far, Grant seemed perfect. Too perfect. She reminded herself to give him time to relax, time to slip up. However, waiting for his flaws to crack the surface amounted to a diversion from what bothered her most of all. From who bothered her most of all …
    Kat stretched her neck in an attempt to ease the tension, cast away the unwanted thoughts that stuck to her like tacky flypaper. She bristled at the memory of him . The conflicted feelings that slow-talking Neanderthal still evoked in her sent fire coursing through her veins.
    Just when she believed her demeaning error in judgment had finally been put to rest, some visceral image of him would pop into her head again: his dimpled smile, his pale blue eyes full of fun, his demanding lips and hands—everywhere on her willing body. Kat squeezed her eyes shut. Even under threat of torture, she would never confess that when in need of release, vivid memories of their one scorching night had rescued her more often than she cared to count.
    Grant was the only man she’d dated for any length of time since the blunder with Tucker. She’d kept herself far too busy, on purpose.
    However, old habits had found her finger hovering more than once over a familiar contact still in her phone. But she’d refrained from calling Dan. The memories of their fights and why she’d ended their quasi-relationship wouldn’t allow her to take the easy way out again. She refused to put either of them through the inevitable torment—no matter how much she missed her old friend’s company, or his touch. She’d cut their cord for a reason, determined to go solo, determined to prove to both of them she could. And with only the best intentions, he wanted her to fail.
    Her mind skipped back to Grant. How much longer would his patience last with their dates ending in only fevered kisses and tentative touches? Although, to be honest, his restraint baffled her. The slow pace she’d set didn’t seem to bother him. He’d had a long-term relationship end badly less than a year ago. She figured he was on the mend, hesitant to jump without first knowing exactly where he’d land.
    Her own hesitancy made her feel silly, even though she admired his self-control, wished she’d had some herself six months ago. She hadn’t decided yet how this evening would end. A part of her wanted to reward his quiet, steady persistence. The other