In the Mood for Love by Beth Ciotta Read Free Book Online Page A

happier vibes.
    Even though Harper had only been in residence sporadically, she’d filled this house with life. With upbeat music, endless television, and lots of chatty phone calls. She’d baked dozens of cupcakes—something Mary used to do. She’d had several long consultations with Rocky regarding furnishings and decorations. Rocky was always a positive, vibrant force. Sam’s kids had only visited the house a few times, but they’d added an infectious dose of innocence and laughter. Even though she’d felt awkward when interacting with them, she’d appreciated their presence. And Sam …
    Every time Sam was in this house with Harper, the atmosphere snapped and sparked. Whether they were immersed in their own work—her spinning crises, him focused on carpentry—or banding to discuss blueprints and paint samples … the air was charged.
    Of course, most of that was due to their sexual chemistry.
    Jumping his bones last night had been rash, but instinctual. Medicinal . In the midst of her meltdown, her complicated thought process had narrowed to a one-lane highway. Destination: distraction and salvation. Mode of transport: sex. Specifically sex with Sam.
    She’d been stunned when he’d waylaid her efforts. Even more stunned when he’d tempered her desperation with a kiss that had hummed through her body like a siren song. Hypnotic and tender. That kiss had soothed and seduced her soul, even as she’d blasted her former employer, no doubt confounding Sam with her convoluted ramble. That kiss had prompted her to text him without fully contemplating the ramifications of marriage to a widowed father of two, a man who was rooted in Sugar Creek, a confident, capable man who challenged her in every way.
    YES.
    Even now … even though her brain said no, her soul cried yes .
    It was frightening … and encouraging. A sign that there was life beyond Andrew. Although that in itself felt like a betrayal.
    One step forward, two steps back .
    Harper pitched the pillow and stretched. Her neck hurt. Her back ached. She blamed a night of restlessness. Between being fired, the panic attack, Sam’s proposal, and her shocking acceptance, her mind had refused to shut down. One worry led to another.
    Had Edward learned of her dismissal? Could he feel her sweating deportation? Was he anxiously awaiting her return? Plotting his ultimate revenge? What if … What if … What if …
    Sleeping with her phone in hand, she’d obsessively checked her e-mail through the night as well as her multiple social media accounts. Edward had hacked his way in before, he could do so again. He could also post anonymously or under an assumed name. But there’d been no taunting message. Maybe the taunt was in the anticipation.
    If only I hadn’t lost my job .
    Unemployment. Another dilemma that had fueled her insomnia. She’d been tempted to zip off e-mails to a couple of associates, trying to get a better handle on her dismissal, but she’d resisted. What if they didn’t write her back? Or what if they did? What if they made her feel worse by sharing specific complaints about her past behavior and recent failures? Like she needed something new to obsess on? She wasn’t the most popular person at Spin Twin Cities. She knew her coworkers considered her an enigma. Publicists were supposed to be personable. And she was … in a guarded and calculated way. What she wasn’t was chummy. Harper hadn’t had any true friends in a long time. She hadn’t had a “boyfriend” since Andrew. Her libido had been comatose long before his death and hadn’t sparked back to life until Sam. Even then she’d done everything in her power to ensure a purely physical, meaningless relationship. After the debacle with Andrew, she’d sworn off intimacy in order to shield her tender heart and fragile composure.
    Yet I’ve agreed to marry Sam .
    She couldn’t explain her bizarre decision beyond that hypnotic kiss and the obvious. He’d thrown her a lifeline.