Perfect Stranger (Novella) by Carly Phillips Read Free Book Online Page A

morning, Luke was implementing the next phase of teaching Alexa how to have fun.
    “Where are we going?” she asked as he helped her into his truck.
    He glanced at her, discovering yet another facet to her personality. She looked like a happy young woman, not a sexy siren, an uptight doctor, or even the tense daughter he’d seen yesterday. Today she had on a pair of jeans with boots over them and a light sweater, her long hair pulled into a ponytail. She was, in a word, breathtaking.
    “It’s a surprise,” he said, controlling his emotions.
    She clapped her hands together in excitement, and again he experienced a wave of passion so strong it nearly drowned him. He’d given her that rosy flush in her cheeks from just these plans alone.
    “Another picnic?” she asked.
    “Among other things,” he said, deliberately vague andteasing. It wouldn’t do to reveal his intentions. Part of having fun involved spontaneity, something else he sensed she hadn’t had much of in her well-organized, routine life.
    “How about a hint?” She curled her legs under her and turned toward him as he pulled out of her driveway.
    He laughed. “How about not?”
    Her phone rang and she pulled it out of her pocket, glanced down, and hit send. The next ten minutes consisted of her talking to someone at the hospital about medications and various patients.
    He clenched his jaw and tried not to let his annoyance get the better of him. He respected her job. Hell, who wouldn’t? But they’d planned for this. He didn’t have a huge temper but he was finding he was impatient when it came to anyone or anything cutting into his limited time with Alexa. He had to head home tomorrow for his niece’s birthday party on Saturday. He had only this limited time with a woman he wanted way more from—he knew it already.
    Most people would call him crazy. Most, but not his mother, who’d met his father and called it love at first sight. He’d romanced her, she’d fallen hard, they married quickly and stayed together happily. Besides, it wasn’t like he was a child. His sisters were younger than him and they were all married with kids. He’d been through dating and living enough to know Alexa was the one he wanted to test some serious waters with.
    How they would do that, with her living in New York and him in Texas, he had no idea. But for now, every minute counted.
    He stopped the car down the street from his ultimate destination, not wanting to ruin the surprise, and parked.
    By the time Luke climbed out of the truck, Alexa waited by the trunk for him to open it up and reveal his surprise. She hopped up and down, excitement filling her, wondering what he had planned for them today.
    “I can’t imagine what you’re like at Christmas,” Luke said, chuckling.
    “Christmas was never like this,” she spoke, more to herself than to him.
    He turned, one hand propped on the trunk door, eyeing her with a serious look on his face. “Talk.”
    She sighed, knowing that, once again, she’d be revealing something more about herself and, oddly enough, wanting to share with him. “Dad didn’t have time for a tree, his mother didn’t care, hence…no tree.”
    Luke stiffened. “No tree.” He sounded appalled, his expression disgusted.
    “Okay, now you know. I come from a family of Scrooges.” She ducked her head and avoided his gaze. “So if the bloom’s off this rose, you can take me back home now,” she said, wanting to give him an out.
    “Hey.” He touched her arm. “I wouldn’t take you home just because you never had a Christmas tree! What kind of jerk do you think I am?”
    She managed a laugh. “I was more worried about what you thought of me. But I can assure you that
I
have a Christmas tree. Even if I’m not home much to enjoy it, I make sure I have one.” She was rambling from embarrassment and changed the subject. “So what’s in the trunk?” she asked too brightly.
    He stared at her for an uncomfortable minute. It was