Male Review by Lillian Grant Read Free Book Online Page A

Sam.” But before he could respond, she slipped away. He shut the door and leaned his butt against it. Everything would be fine. Once Maud moved out and they settled into a normal life together, there would be plenty of time for them to think about the future. Right now, he wanted her to himself.
    *
    Meg had to fight through a crowd of beefy bodybuilders to get to Maud. She was sitting on the floor between the legs of a very buff man. Her eyelids fluttered and she looked up plaintively at Meg from her pillow of well-developed male pecs.
    “What happened?”
    Mr. Body Beautiful stared at Meg. “My fault. I bet her a kiss she couldn’t bench press the bar.”
    Meg glanced at the weight bench and saw a discarded bar sans weights. “Just the bar?”
    “Yeah, I guess she is more fragile than she looks. Poor angel.”
    Maud moaned again and Meg was sure the sound had as much to do with the fact she had found herself in the arms of a man she could usually only fantasize about as any injury she’d suffered.
    Meg patted Maud’s cheek. “Great Aunt Maud? Where does it hurt?”
    Maud’s steely blue eyes snapped open and she hissed, “It’s just Maud, and I think I broke my arm.”
    Despite her best efforts, Meg couldn’t keep the grin from her face. Just as she thought, Maud wasn’t as badly damaged as she appeared to be. “Perhaps we should take you to get an x-ray. Can you walk?”
    Maud let out another low moan.
    “I can carry her to the car.”
    “Whatever. Although I am sure she is quite capable of walking on her own.”
    “If Eric wants to carry me, I don’t mind.”
    Meg muttered, “I bet you don’t,” as she got to her feet and parted the red sea of beefcake to lead the way to the car.
    Eric carried Maud in his arms and waited while Meg collected their bags from the locker. Maud snuggled against her new champion as he deposited her in the passenger’s seat.
    He glanced at Meg. “Do you have a pen and paper?”
    “Why?”
    “I want to give Maud my number. I need to know she’s going to be okay.”
    A search through her bag resulted in a blunt eyebrow pencil and a receipt from the corner store. Eric scribbled his number on the back and handed the receipt to Maud.
    “Call me when you get home and let me know you’re going to be okay.”
    Maud fluttered her ridiculously large eyelashes. “I guess I didn’t win the bet?”
    Meg’s eyes all but fell out of her head when the man gave Maud a smooch that had her panting, never mind the old lady.
    * * * *
    Meg sipped on the disgusting bitter coffee. How long did it take to x-ray an arm? She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. What a day. It was past lunchtime and she hadn’t even thought about looking for a job. The state should pay her for minding Maud. She figured the task would get a whole lot harder now that Maud seemed to have found a boyfriend. Once they pulled out of the car park at the gym, the old lady had perked up. Apparently Eric was a fifty-year-old welder. He didn’t look his age, and even if he did, there was something disturbing about him being interested in Maud. Maybe he was just being polite. Although good manners didn’t require you to stick your tongue down someone’s throat. Meg shuddered.
    Her head throbbed and she felt a tiny bit nauseous. Perhaps they could squeeze her in for a brain scan whilst she waited, although maybe it wasn’t an aneurism this time. Were headaches a symptom of pregnancy? Morning sickness was. God, what if she were knocked up. She shifted her hand to her stomach and fought back a rising tide of panic. Sam didn’t want a baby. Maybe if she thought baby cleansing vibes, it would disappear. Tears prickled her eyes. She didn’t want her baby to die.
    A warm Irish brogue broke into her panic. “As I live and breathe, it’s my sister in crime.”
    Meg opened her eyes and groaned. Her day had gone from bad to worse. God was punishing her for saying she would become a nun and then taking