Suddenly Sexy by Linda Francis Lee Read Free Book Online Page A

workroom. "You have plenty to
do. I'll make breakfast while you finish up."

"You?"

"Believe it or not, I can make a Pop-Tart as easily as the next guy."

He didn't wait for a response. He got busy going through her cabinets
and pantry. "Success. Strawberry
and blueberry. The only other
thing I need is a real cup of coffee—"

She pointed to the coffeemaker and the tin next to it.

"—and I'm set."

She nodded and then went back to the gardening tools. When she finished
and returned to the kitchen,
he was just serving breakfast.

"I made enough for both of us," he said.

She really was hungry. "Thanks." She debated taking a quick shower.

"Clean up later," he said, reading her thoughts. He shoved her gently
into the seat, then set a premade pastry in front of her.

They ate in companionable silence, until Jesse finished. "Man, can I
use a toaster."

"So much for modesty," she teased.

He glanced over at her with a wicked smile. "Modesty is overrated."

Kate rolled her eyes, then finished her last bite. Reaching across the
table, she gathered their plates.

"I can't believe you're dating Parker," he said, leaning back, holding
his coffee against his broad chest.

"Why? He's a fine man, even if he is a friend of yours." This time she
grinned.

"Cute. But I don't like him."

"How can you say that! You were friends for ages."

"Yeah, well," he conceded grudgingly. "I guess I just don't like him
for you."

For some reason, this really got to her, or maybe it was just a lot of
things piling up. Him here. Looking great. Still wild. Whatever the
reason, she sat back in the chair and skewered him with a scowl. "Given
that you're a guest in my home, I don't want to be rude. However, I
feel compelled to point out that
my relationship with Parker Hammond is none of your business."

Jesse only grinned, unabashed, his corded forearms rippling as he set
his cup aside and tossed his napkin on the table. He whistled, then
shrugged. "You and Parker— who would have guessed?" He held his hands
up in surrender. "Certainly not me, though that could be because I
never really saw him as having much appeal."

"Glad you're such an expert on men. Have you switched over?"

His eyes went wide for half a second, then he gave a bark of
appreciative laughter. "There's my Katie."

"I am not your Katie."

He sat for a long second, just looking, before he pushed up from the
table and stepped beside her chair. Hot, intense emotion ticked through
him and he couldn't explain why her words bothered him. She
wasn't his. He didn't want her to be his.

But that didn't stop the hard, driving need that beat inside him. He
leaned close to her ear, pressing in
on her space, making her uncomfortable. "Then whose Katie are you?" he
asked, his voice a low rumble. "Are you really Parker's?"

"I don't belong to anyone."

Her indignation amused him, and he smiled at her defiance. Then with
slow, deliberate movements, he grabbed her chair and pulled her and the
furniture around as if he couldn't do anything else. He leaned down and
braced his hands against the hard wood arms on either side of her,
bringing them face to face.

"I think I get it," he mused. "You're modern and liberated. The Gloria
Steinem of Meadowlark Drive."

Something deep and indefinable pushed him on. He tilted her back until
the chair balanced on two legs. Her mouth opened in surprise, a single
long strand of curling hair trailing along her cheek.

"Does that mean there's still a little bit of the old, wild Katie left
underneath all that prim?"

"I was never wild," she managed to say.

"Do I need to remind you about wanting to punch Billy Weeks in the
nose? Or riding your bike like the devil licked at your heels?" He let
the chair drop back into an upright position. "What happened to that
little girl?"

"She grew up."

He ran his gaze over her body. "I noticed."

The gold that highlighted her hazel eyes flared. But then she shook her
head. "I noticed something, too."

Jesse tilted his head.