Tempted by the Billionaire: A Hometown Hero Series Novel by Clare Connelly Read Free Book Online Page A

with a slow, suggestive grin, but his eyes didn’t leave hers.
    If they’d been alone, she would have kissed him. She would have pressed her body to his, and let her hands run over his back. She wanted him, and she was pretty darned sure he felt the same way. But Anna and Isaac, their best friends, were just across the room.
    She closed her eyes for strength then stepped away from him, on the pretence of pulling a platter out of the cupboard. “Well, it smells delicious,” she intoned brightly. She stood with the ceramic buffer, holding it diligently while he lifted chicken pieces from the trays and placed them onto the platter.
    “It is,” he grinned, apparently happy to move past the intimate moment they’d shared. His eyes were gently mocking. As though he knew the effect he was having on her, and was amused by it.
    Her smile felt strange on her face. She focussed on the platter, waiting impatiently for him to finish loading it up with food so that she could make her escape. Oh, why had she come over?
    Her cheeks were pink when she walked into the dining area and placed dinner in the middle of the table. Anna and Isaac were in a serious conversation, their voices lowered, their eyes locked. For the first time in their friendship, Willow had a sense that she was intruding. “There’s just a few more things to get. Excuse me,” she murmured, slipping out of the room again. Anna didn’t even look in her direction. Isaac simply nodded, then turned back to his wife.
    Whatever they were discussing seemed serious.
    “Ready to taste some real southern fried food?” Matt greeted her in the kitchen, one hip propped indolently against the marble counter.
    She shook her head. “Let’s give them a moment.”
    He winged a brow in silent enquiry.
    “They’re talking.” She shrugged. “Looked serious.”
    “I see.” He picked up their wine glasses and walked towards her with panther like intensity. “Well, why don’t you come scope out my handiwork?”
    She stared at him blankly.
    “The deck.” He prompted, nudging her side slightly. The contact sent shivers tumbling through her body.
    “Oh, right. Dinner’s okay in here?”
    He nodded, his lips twisting with amusement. “It’ll keep.”
    He handed her wine to her, and this time, Willow was careful to keep her fingers from touching his. He noticed, and his face showed that he found her attempt amusing.
    “You’re laughing at me,” she observed with a droll tone to her voice.
    He nodded with mock seriousness. “I sure am, ma’am.”
    She pulled a face. “Why?”
    He sighed. “Come outside.”
    She fell into step behind him, propelled further forward by the sound of Anna and Isaac’s hushed tones. She wondered what they were talking about, but kept her curiosity in check.
    “They must be grateful you’re doing this,” she murmured, when they emerged into the starlit night.
    He shrugged. “I like it.”
    “Do you?”
    He nodded. “I like to be busy.” His eyes revealed an inner-torment she didn’t understand. “Discharge doesn’t keep me busy.”
    “Maybe this could be your new career.” She couldn’t help it. She took a step closer, so that she was standing beside him, on the wide deck, with the sound of the churning ocean and a hooting owl as the soundtrack to their conversation. “You thinking of house painting and decorating as your next career step?”
    His smile was thin; the promise he’d made earlier that day to his mother made his chest tighten. His duty was ahead of him; his future was waiting. But he couldn’t bring himself to admit as much to Willow. He didn’t allow himself to wonder why. “Maybe. Sure is satisfying.” He angled his head, fixing her with a clear, piercing stare.
    She swallowed. And the minute she heard herself ask the question, she knew she was in trouble. For it carried a weight of expectations, and a hope that she hadn’t realised she held. “Do you think you’ll stay in Haymarket Bay long?” Her heart