Loved by You by Kate Perry Read Free Book Online

punctuating that statement. Then he lifted her chin and said, “Where are we going?”
    “I don’t care.” As long as she was with him. “I just had to get you out of there before my mom handed you a box of condoms.”
    “Would she have done that?”
    “Hell yes.”
    He laughed. “She’s amazing. I love them.”
    A warm feeling spread through her. Not wanting to analyze it, she squeezed his hand. “Come on. There’s a café a few blocks away that has great pastries.”
    “Citrus scones?”
    “No, but their croissants are to die for.”
    “Lead the way.” He grinned. “I’m yours to command.”
    She looked at him. “Really?”
    The amusement in his expression turned hot and feral. “Keep staring at me like that and you’ll find out.”
    She swallowed thickly, her chest tight with excitement, because for the first time ever, she was tempted. Really, really tempted.

Chapter Five
    Chance couldn’t think of anything better than walking hand in hand with KT. Well—actually he could, and it involved whipped cream and a whole lot of naked flesh.
    Meeting a woman’s parents had always served like birth control in the past, but this time it’d been different. This time, he sat in that amazingly down-to-earth living room and wanted to belong to that family, as kooky as they were.
    As if knowing the direction of his thoughts, KT turned to him and said, “I didn’t know your parents had died. I’m sorry.”
    Like always when someone brought it up, he shut down. “You play the hand you’re dealt. It was a long time ago.”
    “It doesn’t matter.” KT stopped, making him face her. Putting her hand on his chest right over his heart, she gave him that clear, no-nonsense gaze. “You obviously loved them. That never goes away.”
    He was surprised to hear himself say, “My two brothers were in the car, too. They were on their way home from a family dinner. I was supposed to be there, but I caught a cold and didn’t go home from my prep school that weekend.”
    She swallowed audibly. “You had two brothers?”
    “Older.” He could still feel the way they used to scrub his head and mess up his hair. “My parents named me Chance, because they wanted a daughter and took a chance on their third child.”
    Her hand fisted on his shirt. “I can’t even imagine. My mother drives me crazy, but the thought of losing her, or Dad, or Bijou …”
    “Don’t think about it,” he said, hating the hoarseness in his voice. “Tell her you love her every day, even when you want to run away from her.”
    She nodded, giving him the gentlest kiss. “Okay.”
    He exhaled loudly, running a hand through his hair. “I should be over it. It was over a decade ago.”
    “They were your parents.” She started walking again, more slowly this time, obviously thinking. “And it sounds like you were close to your brothers.”
    “They were the ones who taught me how to play poker.” He smiled, remembering how they used to let him stay up with them and play even though they were so much older in high school, and he was a lowly sixth grader. “They didn’t know it, but they saved my life by teaching me to play. My parents had just enough life insurance to pay off their debts, and even selling the house wasn’t enough to pay for four years at Harvard. I paid my way through school by playing. It’s how I got the boat.”
    “So you set sail.” She nodded. “And you got a friend.”
    “He’s some pig.” Chance squeezed her hand when she chuckled. Something lightened in his chest at the sound, and he felt a wave of appreciation so strong he wanted to grab her up and squeeze her. But that’d only scare her, so instead he looked at her and said, “Thank you.”
    Her wide brow furrowed. “For what?”
    “For being great.” He tugged her toward him and ran his hand down her long hair. “You’re the best pretend girlfriend I’ve ever had.”
    “I try.”
    “You should be rewarded.”
    She lit up. “Unlimited pretend