Part-Time Wife by Susan Mallery Read Free Book Online

The dining room was the same. He moved to his right, down the small open hall and glanced into the kitchen. The counters were clear, the sink clean, the trash can empty. Beyond, in the family room, most of the toys and sports equipment had been picked up. The videotapes were off the floor and the few piles of laundry left had been sorted by color.
    He moved farther into the room. The TV was off, but lights were on. Jill lay curled up asleep at one end of the sofa. All around her were piles of clean, folded laundry. He didn't know whether to wake her up or leave her in peace. He'd never thought of the sofa as particularly comfy, but she was a lot smaller than he.
    Before he could decide, she turned her head toward him and opened her eyes. The bright green color surprised him. He'd forgotten the intensity of her gaze. Then she smiled. His body reacted with all the subtlety of a freight train crashing into a brick wall. Blood flowed hot and fast. His breathing increased and an almost unfamiliar pressure swelled in his groin.
    "You're home," she said, her voice low and husky. "I wondered if you would be. I almost called the station, but I didn't want to bother you. Is everything okay?"
    "Fine." He motioned to the folded laundry. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you do all this work. I really was going to call a service."
    "You still are." She sat up and stretched. The hem of her sweatshirt rode up, exposing the barest sliver of bare belly before descending and hiding all from view. "I don't mind doing the laundry and cooking, but I'm scared to go into the boys' bathroom. I think they've invented some new fungus, and I don't want to have to battle it."
    "I'll call on Monday," he promised.
    She shifted so she was leaning against the arm of the sofa and rested her chin on the back. "I already did. They'll be here at ten. Are you hungry?"
    His stomach rumbled at the question. "I guess I am. Come to think of it, I didn't have time to eat today."
    She rose to her feet. She must have been asleep for a while. Her hair was all spiky, and it reminded him of their encounter that morning. When she'd been in her robe … and nothing else.
    The mental image did nothing to alleviate his now-painful condition. Nor did he want it to. It had been far too long since he'd desired a woman. He didn't have to do anything about it with Jill. In a way it was enough to still be able to feel something.
    "Don't be too impressed," she said, leading the way into the kitchen. "It's just pizza. There isn't much here, but I didn't want to go grocery shopping without talking to you first."
    "I'm sorry about that, too. I just took off and dumped everything on you. I'd meant to discuss some things, but I had to go in and…" He gave her a halfhearted smile and rubbed the back of his neck. The pain there was pretty constant, the sort of nagging ache brought on by too much stress and too little of everything else.
    "Don't worry about it," she said. She opened a box on the counter and slid three slices of thin-crust pizza with everything onto a plate. Then she put it into the microwave oven to heat and opened the refrigerator. "Water, milk, soda or beer?"
    "Beer."
    She took the bottle and untwisted the cap. "Have a seat," she said, handing him the drink and motioning to the kitchen table. She poured a glass of water for herself.
    He stared at it for a moment. "I'm trying to remember the last time I saw this kitchen so clean."
    "Judging from the number of dishes we put through the dishwasher, I would say some time last Christmas." She held up her hand before he could speak. "Don't apologize again. I understand. But we do have a few details to work out."
    He settled in the seat at the head of the table and gratefully drank his beer. She pulled the pizza out of the oven and gave it to him, then took the chair opposite his. While he ate, they discussed her salary, the grocery budget, the kids' schedules for school and sports.
    "Danny and C.J. need to be picked up but Ben