Hot Seduction by LISA CHILDS Read Free Book Online Page B

They’re going to razz him about it.”
    â€œHe fell because the tub was unusually slippery,” Serena said. Why? She had washed it earlier that day after he’d left for his meeting, and she didn’t think anyone had used it after that. “Do you think he’ll sue me?”
    â€œSue you? Why?” Fiona asked. As Serena’s insurance agent, she should have been concerned.
    â€œBecause he was hurt in my house.” Maybe the cleaner she’d used on the tub had made it oily. Could she have caused his fall? A pang of regret struck her heart; she hoped she wasn’t responsible for him getting hurt.
    â€œI doubt it,” Fiona assured her. “From what I know about Cody, he doesn’t seem to care about money or possessions or anything but having a good time—whether he’s with a woman or fighting a fire.”
    â€œBut how well do you really know him?” Serena asked. As far as she was aware, she was the only one who knew that he paid half of Stanley’s room and board. How did he have enough money to be that generous?
    â€œI know he’s an incorrigible flirt,” Fiona said. “He’s cocky and funny and competitive.”
    â€œAnd?” she prodded. She wanted to know more about Cody than his clean criminal background and good credit could tell her. On her circuit of pacing, she passed her bed. She loved the old brass frame—loved that so many of her ancestors had slept on it. Her grandmother had even been born on that bed. But Serena couldn’t look at it now without imagining Cody in it, naked and sexy.
    â€œAre you curious about Cody just because you’re worried he’s going to sue you?” Fiona asked. “Or are you interested in him?”
    Serena snorted; she didn’t care how unladylike it was. “He’s not my type.” She had never gone for the sexy, cocky guy. Of course she had never stumbled across a naked one before either.
    â€œNo, he’s not,” Fiona wholeheartedly agreed. “You want a guy who will settle down and raise a family here in Northern Lakes.”
    Her friend might not have known Cody all that well, but she knew Serena. Of course she had never made any secret of how much she loved her hometown and, most especially, her house.
    â€œAnd Cody’s not that guy,” Fiona continued. “He can’t wait to leave Northern Lakes again.”
    â€œBut he comes back...” Unlike Serena’s twin, who had left Northern Lakes after high school and never returned—not even for their mother’s funeral. Courtney had never made any secret of how much she’d hated her hometown.
    And apparently her home...
    â€œYou do like him!” Fiona accused her. Before Serena could deny it again, her friend added, “I get it. Wyatt isn’t my type either.”
    â€œThen why are you marrying him?” If she was considering changing her mind, Serena and Tammy might want to hold off on the bachelorette party. They weren’t getting too far with the planning anyway. Serena wanted to have it at the house while Tammy wanted to go to some new club on male stripper night.
    â€œBecause I love him,” Fiona answered, as if it was just that simple.
    But Serena knew better. Her mother had loved her father. But he hadn’t reciprocated, or he wouldn’t have left her. While she wished her friend luck, Serena wasn’t going to fall for someone who didn’t want the same things out of life that she did.
    It would only end painfully. Her mother had never recovered from that broken heart either. She’d never married. She’d barely even dated. Her only loves had been her daughters, her family and her home.
    â€œI just want to know if Cody will sue me,” Serena said. She already had one lawsuit she couldn’t afford to pay; she couldn’t deal with another.
    Fiona sighed. “I can’t tell you if he’ll sue. People file lawsuits for