Smolder: The Wildwood Series by Karen Erickson Read Free Book Online Page B

you.”
    “Okay.” Wren nodded distractedly, her gaze returning to the computer screen.
    Hesitating, Delilah stood there, hating how she couldn’t help her friend. She wanted to fix this. Snap her fingers and make all of Wren’s problems and worries disappear. But she couldn’t, and that was beyond frustrating.
    After gathering the rest of her things, Delilah exited the studio, groaning inwardly when the early evening air hit her. Summer in full swing meant temperatures climbing as high as the midnineties, though it always cooled down in the evenings. She kept the studio as cold as her energy bill allowed her to, which wasn’t always cold enough. Luckily her income this year had been the best so far, and she knew she had Wren to thank for that.
    She had a lot to be thankful for: her business, her friends. Her family was in good health, and she had a roof over her head, a decent car to drive, and a little bit of money in the bank. She firmly believed she’d never looked better—even in high school, and she remembered thinking she was hot shit back then.
    Dancing five days a week for hours at a time helped keep her in shape. She also tried her best to eat right to be a good example for her students. Oh, she adored junk food like the rest of them, but didn’t want her girls to shove a bag of chips down their throats before they came into their jazz class. She was trying to teach them good habits as best she could.
    Really, she was trying her best to do everything right, especially after moving through her early twenties with little focus and no direction. Slipping up was part of being human, but right now, she wanted to keep on the right track.
    The only thing lacking was her love life. As in, it was nonexistent. She told herself time and again that she didn’t need a man. She had a vibrator and she secretly partook in a porn clip here and there to remind herself what it was like being with a man and not a sex toy, visually at least. It had been a while since she’d had a flesh-and-blood man between her legs.
    Porn and vibrators really didn’t cut it though. She wasn’t even thirty yet and her nights were spent curled up on the couch, binge-watching TV series she really didn’t care about. Or she read.
    She dated no one. Men were slim pickings in Wildwood, especially since she’d known the majority of them as long as she could remember.
    Truly, her sex life should be off-the-charts amazing. She was the most flexible person she knew. The things she could do with her legs were kind of unreal. She could rock a man’s world . . . if he’d only let her.
    More like if only Lane would let her. Despite his countless rejections, his endless supply of excuses, she couldn’t quit him. She refused to. And now, more than ever, he might need her. If only he would open his heart and mind and let her in. She’d help him out. Be there for him when he was feeling weak. When he needed support.
    Did he know she’d be there for him? Probably not. Maybe she needed to go to him and tell him. Or even better—show him.
    Hmm.
    An idea sparked as she climbed into her car and started the engine. She knew just what to do to gain his attention. Let him know that she’d be there for him no matter what.
    First though, she needed to make sure he’d be receptive to her approach.

Chapter Five
    S NEAKING INTO A man’s house while he slept through the afternoon was probably not the smartest thing Delilah had ever done. Especially considering that the man was a deputy sheriff. As in, he wore a badge and carried a gun.
    If he thought she was some sort of prowler breaking into his house, he’d shoot first and ask questions later, right? But what would-be robber would break into someone’s house to cook a meal?
    That’s exactly what she was doing too. Cooking the one thing she was really good at: her grandma’s fried chicken. It was messy and it wasn’t even close to being healthy, but damn it, fried chicken was comfort food.
    And her