My One And Only by MacKenzie Taylor Read Free Book Online Page A

She pretended to inspect the room, to look, he supposed, at anything but him as he surveyed the evidence of Harrison's pending financial ruin. Deliberately, he set the stack of papers aside.
    He was about to make an irrevocable choice. And he didn't want Harrison's financial statements cluttering his mind. "There's something we need to talk about," he said carefully.
    She took her time meeting his gaze. Slow and easy, deliberate and controlled, he noted. Something about her made most of the women he knew seem a little crass. He had a sudden vision of always-perfe ctly-dressed, always-perfectly- groomed Pamela. Abby made his ex- fiancée seem harsh around the edges. Though Pamela wouldn't have been caught dead in jeans and a sweatshirt, Abby wore them with an unpracticed elegance, which told him, somehow, that she'd have lace on underneath. She was that kind of woman—full of secrets.
    "You don't have to sugarcoat this for me," she assured him. "Things are bad, aren't they?"
    "You could say that."
    She pressed her lips together in grim acceptance. Full lips. Lips he'd thought about innumerable times while in Prague. "I knew it." She sank more deeply into the heavily cushioned sofa. "It's disastrous."
    He tapped the report with his index finger. "From what I've seen, that's an understatement."
    "Is there anything… "
    "I can't tell you that after an hour of looking over the numbers. I told you that I need a week."
    "I understand."
    He tapped one long finger on the arm of his chair as he watched her. He was trying to figure out just what it was about the woman that caused him to seriously consider having anything to do with Harrison's life. "If I did decide to do this, I'd have to give it my full attention," he said carefully.
    "I'm aware of that."
    "Can you give me a reason why I should?"
    She swallowed, and her lips parted slightly. Ethan considered that a very good sign. She wasn't nervous, just aware of the undercurrent that ran between them. He'd suspected as much but hadn't had the chance, until now, to really watch for the signs. He'd kept his attention deliberately on Rachel during dinner, not wanting to bait Abby until he had her alone.
    "You told Rachel you'd come back next week for dinner," Abby pointed out.
    "I was seduced"—he deliberately cradled the word—"by that chocolate thing."
    Her lips twitched in that charming little half smile that tickled nerve endings. How long, he wondered, would he have to know her before she'd smile that way when she thought about him? "She's good."
    "She's excellent."
    "If it makes you feel any better, you aren't the only one to cave in when faced with one of Rachel's desserts. I've made some pretty major concessions while she was waving a plate in front of my nose."
    "Hmm."
    "She does this cheesecake thing that's out of this world."
    She was warming to the topic, he realized. When Abby was particularly lost in a subject, she used her hands a lot, as if she were manipulating the air in front of her to help make a point.
    "Good?" he asked.
    She rolled her eyes in exaggerated bliss. "God, you can't imagine. I think I put on four pounds that day."
    His gaze dropped to the lush swell of her hips. The faded denim hugged gene rous womanly curves that made hi s hands tingle. There wasn't a sharp angle on her.
    She chuckled, then continued. "Last year Harrison was going to s ee if he could arrange some les sons for her with a pastry chef. I had to threaten him within an inch of his—" She stopped suddenly and dropped her hands into her lap. "Sorry. I get a little carried away."
    "You're very proud of her."
    "Yes. It hasn't been … easy."
    "I can imagine."
    "I wish she'd known Mother and Dad."
    Th e wistful note in her voice did Ethan in. Courage, depth, passion, grace; Abby was the complete package. And at that precise moment, he realized with a bit of a shock, he wanted her to long for him so deeply that she'd have that same note in her voice when she thought about him.
    He didn't even