Hot Property (Kingston Bros.) by Tamara Larson Read Free Book Online Page A

looking for something really special. Not quite so common as this." Karl said, waving his arm to indicate their surroundings.
    Serena nearly gaped at him. The townhouse wasn't huge, but it contained all of the upscale finishes a home buyer could possibly desire. Kingston Bros., built really fine homes and she was more than proud to represent them. No matter how annoying and unprofessional they were at times, her cousins were not common. She really had to restrain herself from lashing out at Karl, the pompous ass. She managed another fake smile and began walking him out the door. "I'll keep an eye out for the perfect property for you, Karl. Thanks so much for coming out today."
    He held out his hand to shake hers and she hesitated. She really didn't want to touch him, but wasn't sure how to avoid it without alienating him completely. Gingerly she shook his hand, trying not to visibly recoil as his clammy flesh closed around her fingers. She looked up in surprise when he gripped her hand just a tad too tightly.
    "I really hope to hear from you soon, Serena." Karl said, drawing out her first name and staring into her eyes with an unblinking intensity that made the skin on the back of her neck crawl.
    She eased her hand out of his grip and looked down at her watch. "I'll be in touch. B ut right now I really must go."
    Karl's brow furrowed. "Oh. Do you have big plans this evening? A date perhaps?"
    Serena thought seriously about lying to him, and saying yes, but despite his newfound creepiness, she really didn't want to discourage him completely. Rejecting him outright at this point would guarantee that he didn't buy a property from her. It was unfair but it was true. If he felt deceived by her he'd take his business elsewhere. "No. Unfortunately not. I have to meet a buyer out on Old Carriage Lane in about an hour. Like I said, I'm al ways available for my clients."
    Karl's smile became wider as she reiterated that statement from earlier. "I can see that you're very dedicated to meeting the needs of your clients. I find that very admirable. Enjoy your meeting. Good-bye, Serena." With that, he let go of her hand and left the townhouse, heading for his dark blue Mercedes sedan parked at the cu rb, behind her own convertible.
    Closing the front door with Karl, thankfully, on the other side, Serena closed her eyes, took a couple of deep breaths and turned back towards the kitchen with her head held high. Creepy Karl may have escaped the brunt of her anger, but the three people in the next room were not going to be so lucky.

Chapter Four
     
    Serena was surprised to find that Mark had followed her into the hallway. His arms were crossed over his hard chest and he was leaning against the archway, blocking her route to the kitchen. She could see Jack and Lacey over his massive shoulders, but they were completely oblivious to what was happeni ng outside their couple cocoon.
    Serena frowned up at him and attempted to dodge around his overgrown frame, but the damn football player still knew how to block. He'd probably move if she asked politely, but she was so not in the mood to obey the social niceties. She would have to touch him to get him to move. The idea both thrilled and horrified her. The last time she'd touched him had been the most humiliating experience of her life. But some small part of her longed to see if his body was as hard and hot as she remembered from that night. Only one way to find out.
    "Mark," she hissed. "Let me by." She gave his shoulder a good shove, but it was like trying to move a refrigera tor. A very sexy refrigerator.
    "What was that about?" Mark asked casually, pretending not to notice that she was trying to manhandle him out of her way. He was being a bully, but couldn't seem to help himself. He needed to know if Serena was actually intereste d in the prig who'd just left.
    "What?" Serena replied rudely as she attempted to nudge by him. Her breasts accidentally brushed his muscled forearm, and her nipples