Sleeping With the Enemy by Tracy Solheim Read Free Book Online Page A

a sound of disdain. “Everyone is so on edge there, worried about the economy and the Middle East. It’s really put a damper on all the fun I couldhave been having.”
    Jay shook his head.
Typical Charlie. Always thinking of herself.
“Good to know nothing has changed.”
    She sighed and closed her eyes. Jay did a quick double take trying to determine if that was moisture he’d glimpsed on her mink-like lashes.
Charlie crying?
That never happened. Not since her father had died thirteen years ago.
    “I thought you’d be happy to see me.I’ve missed you,” she said softly. “Haven’t you missed me? Not even just a little bit?”
    He squeezed the back of his neck with his hands. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d taken out his bad day on Charlie. That was one of the reasons their relationship had deteriorated these past few years. But he refused to accept all the blame. She hadn’t been a saint, either.
    “Should I not have comehome?” she asked.
    Jay downed the rest of his Scotch before answering. “I told you that you always have a home here with me.”
    She sighed again and he wandered back to the bar for a refill.
    “Maybe you should pace yourself, Jay. The night’s young.”
    He laughed. “Says the woman who started stealing booze out of the liquor cabinet when she was thirteen.”
    “I’ve given it up.”
    A piece of ice got stuck in his throat and he coughed. “Since when? Don’t tell me alcohol has lost its appeal now that you’re twenty-one and it’s no longer illegal?”
    Charlie sat up on the sofa.
Damn, those were tears in her eyes.
“No. I’ve given up lots of things. For health reasons.”
    This time when he choked, it had nothing to do with anything clogging his throat.
    “Congratulate me,Jay. You’re going to be an uncle.”

Four
    Jay pushed the pieces of omelet around on his plate while Charlie hovered around him. To his credit, he hadn’t exploded—yet. It was likely his half sister was expecting a violent outburst at any moment given the way she kept the kitchen counter between them at all times. Her bombshell had knocked him on his ass—literally. He’d collapsed into one of the recliners amid a string ofobscenities, the weight of one too many surprises today taking him out at the knees.
    “See,” she’d said. “I told you that was too much Scotch. When did you last eat anything?” Scrambling to the kitchen, she’d begun preparing him some food. Despite growing up in homes with servants, their mother, Melanie, had insisted both Charlie and Jay learn to fend for themselves in the kitchen. While Charliehad obviously mastered the skill of cooking, Jay paid for someone else to do his.
    “Does Mom know?” he asked. His gut seized at the thought of how their mother would react to her twenty-one-year-old, unmarried daughter being pregnant.
    Charlie avoided his eyes, wiping the counter with a towelinstead. “God, no. I just found out myself.” She shrugged. “It’s not like she’ll be excited aboutit, so why bother.”
    Jay heaved a sigh. For the life of him, he’d never understand the relationship between his mother and sister. Charlotte was the golden child, born to Jay’s mother and her second husband, multimillionaire Lloyd Davis, when Jay was fifteen. His mother had been in her early forties while Lloyd had been approaching sixty when his sister arrived. To say that Charlotte had beendoted on would be a gross understatement. Unfortunately, the rest of humanity was now paying the price for their family’s spoiling of her.
    From the moment he’d laid eyes on his beautiful baby sister, Jay had adored her. He’d spent most of his life walking on eggshells around his stepfather, trying to live up to the CEO of the body-armor-manufacturing company’s rigid ideals. But Charlie lovedher big brother unconditionally. When nothing Jay said or did could please his stepfather, a simple arm fart would send his sister into peals of worshipful laughter. She was the ray of