Last First Kiss by Lia Riley Read Free Book Online Page A

wobble.
    “Annie—”
    “I’m fine.” She did a good job of keeping her sigh internal, but not good enough.
    “I fell in a hole,” the boy piped from the backseat.
    “In the barn, the floor is rotted . . . ” Annie burst into sudden, helpless tears.
    Nothing tore him up more than a crying woman, and for that woman to be Annie?
    Shit.
    Gritting his teeth against a nearly physical need to provide her comfort, instinct held him back, kept him from murmuring, “Stop. Hush. Everything will be all right.” Instead, she seemed to need a moment to let go, release whatever tore up her insides. He could give her that, despite the fact each hitching sob slugged his guts like a fist.
    The kid peered out the window with eyes the size of dinner plates. Sawyer offered a reassuring nod.
    The next minute passed as slow as an hour, but finally, her sobs lessened. He squatted down and offered the clean handkerchief from his back pocket.
    “I’m sorry.” She dabbed her eyes. “That was uncalled for. I’m fine and should really be—”
    “Follow me.”
    She blinked in red-eyed confusion. “Please, don’t bring me in. I’m sorry about the stop sign. If you need to write me a ticket you can—”
    “I’m not taking you to the sheriff’s office,” he said, touching her shoulder. She tensed but didn’t move away. Beneath that too-thick cotton was bare skin. The idea of being that close to her hit him like a shot of tequila in a Red Bull. “You still like hot chocolate?”
    “Hot chocolate?” The boy perked. “We love hot chocolate, don’t we, Mommy?”
    Mommy. In ten years, Annie had become a woman, and a mother. And yet, some things never changed. She still had a weakness for chocolate. And despite everything, he still had a weakness for her.
    “A new coffee shop in town opened up today,” he said. “I’ve been told it’s going to be good. The test will be if the new owner can make a mean hot chocolate.”
    “It must be eighty degrees out.”
    He rubbed his chin, already covered with scruff despite the morning’s careful shave. “That never stopped the Annie Carson I knew.”
    That earned a glimmer of a real smile, small, but her eyes brightened. “You got me there.”
    He stood. “So you’ll follow me?”
    “But you’re working. I don’t want to take your time. It’s fine.”
    “ Fine . You keep using that word.” But saying a thing didn’t make it true. He knew because he’d been feeding himself the same line and still felt hungry. The bachelor life with Maverick was fine. He liked his job, had a good house, and could watch a ball game or fish whenever he wanted.
    But shouldn’t life be better than fine? Something full, rich, and real?
    “Mommy, can we go with the sheriff? Please, please, plea—”
    “Fine.” She wrinkled her nose, catching herself, and glanced back to her son. “I mean, okay. Yes. After all, don’t we deserve a treat?”
    “I think you do.” Sawyer didn’t mean it to sound suggestive, but she blushed all the way to the tips of her ears. Hell, maybe he did. His reflection stared from the back window. Sometimes he hid his thoughts so well even he didn’t know where to find them. That wasn’t the case now. He looked like a man on a mission. Something told him Annie needed a heavy dose of sweetness.
    S AWY ER HELD OPEN the door to Haute Coffee.
    “Cute name,” Annie murmured, looking around. The interior was cuter still, with wooden floors polished to a warm honey-gold, exposed brick walls showcasing vintage travel posters from the region, and a pressed-tin ceiling gleaming in the morning light. This was a spot where she could curl up with a good book or work on the blog. Her kind of place.
    “Today is the grand opening,” Sawyer said. “Looks like it’s going well.”
    Most of the tables were full and a striking woman frothed milk behind the counter, her thick red hair held back by a paisley headband. She glanced in their direction with a distracted smile.