Passion & Pumpkins by Lily Rede Read Free Book Online

garage. It was the good human thing to do, regardless of whatever news about her might have made it back to them.
    Evie checked her cell phone, unsurprised at the lack of bars, and shoved it into her backpack. There was no way around it, she was going to get soaked. Evie Asher had never waited around to be rescued, and she wasn't about to start now. She took a quick glance around the car, reached for the door handle, and then stopped.
    You don't need the gun, she reminded her inner cop, who grumbled.
    A brief hesitation and Evie opened the glove compartment, grabbed her 9mm, and awkwardly shrugged into her shoulder holster, gasping in pain. She immediately felt better when the weight of the weapon settled into its customary place, and cautiously eased her hoodie on.
    One more hour, she promised herself, One more hour and you'll be soaking in a hot bath, drinking a nice pinot, and reading about the dark-eyed Sabatino doing deliciously illicit things to his Contessa on the library floor.
    She hefted the backpack onto her good side and stepped out into the rain.
     
    SHIVERING AND COMPLETELY DRENCHED, Evie dropped her backpack on the Daniels' porch. It was a beautiful hundred-year-old farmhouse that was obviously in the process of being restored - scaffolding protected what looked like a new wing off the side of the two-story structure. Evie spared a quick glance around, but her teeth were starting to chatter.
    Fingers tight with cold, Evie raised a hand to knock.
    Nothing.
    Come on, come on.
    Someone had to be home, judging from the sporty little SUV in the driveway sitting behind a more utilitarian truck. The lights blazed with beckoning warmth and the smoky scent of a fireplace teased her with promises of heat and comfort.
    She knocked harder, kicking the door for good measure, stumbling back as it jerked open.
    "What the hell, Tom? Can't a guy take one Sunday afternoon – ”
    He broke off abruptly, hazel eyes widening.
    Evie tried to form words, but her brain inconveniently chose that moment to shut down, obviously overloaded by impending hypothermia and the sight of six plus feet of bare, tanned muscle standing in the doorway, clutching a blanket around his waist with lean, elegant hands. His skin had a light sheen of sweat and his dark hair was ruffled over those bright hazel eyes.
    Hot.
    Even the inner cop whimpered and she gave it a mental shove.
    Pull it together, Asher.
    "I'm so sorry to bother you, but I was looking for Mr. or Mrs. Daniels – ”
    His brows snapped together with a frown.
    "They're dead. For the last five years. Car accident."
    "I’m sorry, I didn't know. I was headed to the old Asher cabin down the road and my car got stuck."
    "You were trying to get out there in this?"
    Incredulous, he gestured and the blanket slipped just a bit, exposing another inch of taut waist and a narrow pelt of dark hair under his navel that arrowed downward in a most interesting manner.
    Evie swallowed and kept her eyes on his.
    "I just need a phone to call the garage, if that's okay."
    "Colin?" The breathy voice drifting down the hall had Evie's face heating in a blush, despite her shivers, as her brain stuttered back into working order.
    Two cars in the driveway, panting sex god in the doorway. Way to go, Asher. You just cock-blocked your new neighbor.
    Said sex god muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "Fucking hell," and stepped back to open the door.
    "Give me five minutes and I'll take you myself."               
    "You don't have to do that, really."
    She wavered slightly as she stepped into the warmth of the house, closing her eyes for a moment as heat curled around her frozen limbs and she shuddered in reaction.
    “Colin.”
    The voice was less breathy and more annoyed, and Evie caught a glimpse of a buxom blonde in a blue lace confection at the top of the stairs. It looked uncomfortable, but Evie supposed it wasn't designed to be worn for long. The woman's silicone breasts were