Tempered (A Daughters of the People Novel) (Daughters of the People Series) by Lucy Varna Read Free Book Online Page A

hesitated to express her opinion or
call him out on his, she also never judged. It wasn’t just refreshing; it was
downright seductive, and therein lay the problem. He didn’t know anything about
her, not where she lived or where she was from or even what her full name was.
Every time he tried to ease the conversation around to her past, she deftly
sidestepped him by changing the subject or, if he was especially persistent, drew
him into another bout of sex.
    She was brutally
up front about everything else. Why not her past?
    There were other
problems, though. She was a hardcore libertarian, and while he saw her point on
a lot of things (people should take more responsibility for themselves),
he disagreed with enough of the finer points that he knew it would drive a
wedge between them sooner or later. By then, it would be too late. He’d already
taken the first teetering step into love with her, what anyone else would call
infatuation, but he knew better. His heart was tender and ready for it, and she
was so close to the kind of woman he’d hoped to meet. Beautiful and fiercely
independent, intelligent and, underneath it all, kind. Any closer to love and
the damage would be irrevocable. She’d break his heart and after all the crap
he’d gone through with Jeanne, he wasn’t sure it could take another hit. Love
he was willing to sacrifice for. Certain heartbreak? Not so much.
    A waiter came by
and took their order. Not Levi this time, thank God. Aaron didn’t need one of
Hawthorne’s relatives spying on him.
    “I know that
look,” Jason said. “You’ve got woman on the brain.”
    “Doesn’t take a
genius to figure that out.”
    “Not with the
scorchin’ hot looks passing between you and the ever-sexy Hawthorne.” Jason
propped his forearms against the edge of the table. “So what gives?”
    “What gives
about what?”
    “The chemistry’s
there, you seem to like her. What are you worried about?”
    Aaron sat back
in his chair. “I don’t even know where she lives.”
    “Somewhere near
here, I think.” Jason shrugged. “What does that matter?”
    “Don’t be dense,
Jase. She lives in Atlanta, I live in San Francisco, and ne’er the twain shall
meet.”
    Jason waggled a
finger. “I might have a solution to that, old son. Seems Dana talked Hawthorne
into submitting a proposal for a graphic novel based on one of the characters
in her Black Queen quadrilogy. Her publisher wants to move on it, but the
editor’s dicking around on the illustrator, especially since Hawthorne insists
on collaborating in person.”
    Interest
stirred. “Yeah?”
    “I could put in
a word, maybe rub a few elbows. You’d have to go to her for a couple of months
to finalize the proposal, do your drawing magic, maybe build a little trust.”
    Aaron scrubbed
his hands down his thighs. Two or three months would give him enough time with
Hawthorne to figure out if sex was all they had in common. On the other hand, it
would be hell if the physical side of their relationship fizzled while they
were still under contract. Mixing business and pleasure wasn’t such a hot idea.
    “Take some time
to think about it,” Jason said. “But not too long. Word is, the publisher’s
pushing to get the project underway. You snooze on this one, man, I may not be
able to get you in.”
    The waiter
brought their brunch by, steaming plates of eggs and grits with piping hot
biscuits on the side. A good Southern breakfast, minus the ham. Aaron cracked
his biscuit in half and spread butter on one side. Had Hawthorne eaten anything
or had she started work on an empty stomach? They’d worked off so many calories
over the past two nights, it was a wonder she had the energy to move. She was
already on the skinny side, muscled, sure, but lean with it. A couple of missed
meals couldn’t be good for her.
    He blew out an
exasperated breath. Man, was he a goner.
    “So, are you going
to the catfight?” Jason asked.
    Aaron paused
with the biscuit halfway to