Rumor Has It by Tami Hoag Read Free Book Online

half- light, widen slightly at his refusal. He leaned toward her, his hand reaching out so he could thread his fingers through herdark chestnut hair. “What I really want to do is kiss you, Katie.”
    Immediately there was pressure against his hand as she tried to lean her head away from him. He held firm.
    “I don't think so, Nick,” she said in a clear, strong voice. From long practice she appeared outwardly calm and controlled. Inside was a different story. As near as he was, she imagined she could feel the magnetic pull of his body on hers. She could feel her control slipping, and all he had done was state his intention. If just hearing him say the words would make her feel this way, what would playing them out do to her? The possibilities were frightening to someone who had taken such great pains to avoid emotional entanglement.
    “Why not? What are you afraid of, Katie?” he asked, hoping he was pushing the right button to crack her veneer of control.
    She raised her chin a stubborn fraction of an inch. “Nothing.”
    “Then kiss me,” he said, drawing her toward him. “I dare you.”
    Rats, Katie thought. How had he known theone thing to say? She knew herself well enough to know she wouldn't back down, even if she didn't feel ready.
    She took a deep breath, telling herself all she had to do was keep her wits about her. She could kiss him and remain impassive. She could kiss him without losing her head. Slowly she leaned toward him, eyes wide open, and settled her lips against his. Everything she had told herself went up in smoke.
    Nick's dark gaze locked on hers and clearly told her he wasn't going to let her have the upper hand. Hot and sweet, his mouth took hers, expertly stealing what power she'd thought she held. As he pulled her closer she felt engulfed, not only by the man, but by a wave of passion and need she had long held at bay. Nick unleashed it, and it took them both under.
    He was as stunned as she when he lifted his mouth from hers to catch his breath. His blood was racing in his veins at a speed that made him dizzy. This had to be what it felt like to free- fall out of an airplane, he thought. His voice was a hoarse rumble as he looked down at Katie and said shakily, “I dare you to do that again.”
    Katie was beyond the logic that would have told her to back him off with an icy stare. She felt as if she had stepped off the edge of sanity and was falling through a warm, soft cloud of pure sensation. She met Nick halfway, something inside her eager to feel the sweet, frightening rush of adrenaline and desire again. It pounded in her chest, in her head, in her ears—pounded and pounded.
    “Aren't you two a little old for parking?” a sarcastic voice drawled through Nick's open window.
    Nick and Katie bolted apart, their eyes riveting on the face of Peter Ramsey. Neither had heard his squad car pull up. Neither had heard him knock on the door of the Trans Am.
    “Park closes at nine,” he said, tapping a finger to his wristwatch.
    Katie glared at him. “Peter Ramsey, if I hear one word about this around town tomorrow, you
won't
live to regret it.”
    “Thank you for a very… unusual… eve ning, Nick,” she said with a touch of dry humor to go with her wry smile. In spite of her initial misgivingsshe had to admit she was glad she'd let Nick talk her into a date. As if she'd had a choice, she thought. Katie imagined he could have talked donkeys into flying, with his adorable smile.
    Nick grinned down at her in the yellow light from the brass coach lantern that hung beside her front door. He braced a hand against the door frame and rested the other on his hip. “I have to admit I've never come so close to getting arrested on a date before.”
    Catching an odd note in his inflection, Katie asked cautiously, “And when you weren't on a date?”
    His smile became secretive. He ran a finger down the short, straight slope of her nose. “Let's just say I know what the inside of a jail looks