Melt Into You by Lisa Plumley Read Free Book Online Page A

fitting jeans, a white shirt, and an expensively distressed jacket. None of those items could have looked any better than they did on him. Just glimpsing him made Natasha’s breath catch in her throat. She felt so relieved he was okay—so relieved he was home .
    Once again, he’d been lucky. Excessive partying hadn’t caught up to Damon in the same way it would have to anyone else.
    He spotted her. As a greeting, Natasha held up the coveted iPhone she’d practically had to kick and claw to get. Damon’s face brightened. Then she held up another iPhone—this one a gift to herself, from Damon, as a thank-you for rescuing him.
    Instantly, Damon recognized as much. Because despite his playboy image, he was much cleverer than he let on. He was also capable of intuiting a lot; he’d always had a talent for that. His knowing smile beamed at her to prove it. Then, moving a little faster, Damon reached her. He dropped his carry-on bag on the airport floor, then pulled her into an embrace.
    Tears actually sprang to her eyes. Feeling him all warm and real and safe against her, Natasha laughed. Damon squeezed her.
    “I was worried you wouldn’t be here,” he said as he pulled back. “You told me you’d leave if I pushed you too far. I was afraid I’d finally made you bail me out one too many times.”
    “Nah.” Wow , he looked wonderful. His eyes were all smoky brown, his jaw was all shadowy with beard stubble, and his hair defied gravity in places. But his sought-after smile was just for her , and that was all Natasha needed. “That’s what the second iPhone was for. It’s a bribe from you to me. So ... thanks!”
    Damon laughed. She loved that sound. When she had to go without it for too long—because he was traveling or she was busy or they were being pulled in separate directions by their separate lives—Natasha got undeniably cranky. She might not be Damon’s girlfriend, and he was definitely not the kind of man she needed in her life right now, but they cared about one another. They connected on a deeper level. What she and Damon shared couldn’t be replicated.
    It couldn’t quite be quantified or defined, either, Natasha mused as she inhaled the familiar piney aroma of his fancy shaving soap and smiled all over again. She and Damon had forged a close-knit working relationship—a relationship she believed they both treasured. They’d never tried taking that relationship to another, more personal, much sexier level. But as Damon hugged her again, then reared back to drink in the sight of her, Natasha began wondering, for the first time in years ...
    Did Damon ever think of her as anything other than his trusty gal Friday? Did he even know she had a finalized divorce to cope with, a cutie-pie son to raise, and a broken-down car?
    She’d always been scrupulous about keeping her private life separate from her work life. At first, it had been a matter of simple self-preservation: Natasha didn’t trust Damon enough to let loose about anything that really mattered. Later, she’d kept her boundaries in place as a matter of routine. But now, here ...
    Well, now , in that moment, with Damon’s touch still making her feel vaguely tingly all over, Natasha couldn’t help wondering ... could there ever be something more between them?
    Damon’s voice, husky and assured, broke into her thoughts.
    “Natasha, I want you to meet someone.” Wearing a uniquely vivid smile, he urged forward a curvaceous woman with dark hair, glasses, and a fashionable ensemble that fit her statuesque figure to a tee. He touched her arm. “This is Giada Bandini.”
    “Oh, hello, Ms. Bandini!” Surprised to see the espresso company exec, Natasha held out her hand. “I didn’t expect you.”
    “There’s something else you didn’t expect.” Like a kid with a secret, Damon grinned. He hugged Ms. Bandini closer. “Giada and I got married! We eloped in Milan. Isn’t that fantastic?”
    Married? When said by Damon, the word didn’t