Tempting Fate by Lisa Mondello Read Free Book Online

kicked something pliant, spilling its contents. He stooped to see the damage and found a wicker basket filled with magazines, some of which had scattered on the floor by the slipcovered sofa. He quickly refilled the basket with what would fit and placed the rest on the end table. He lingered a moment to read the cover of one of the magazines before placing it down next to a course catalog from a local community college.
    The furniture, although worn from years of use, felt homey and invited you to sit down and get comfortable. Kyle guessed that everything was either a hand-me-down or bought at the Salvation Army store with limited funds. A picture frame perched on the television caught his attention. He picked up the wooden frame, a double oval containing a portrait of Lauren with a man and woman he guessed were her parents on one side, a candid shot of Kristen at the park in the other.
    "She was asleep before I took her coat off. Didn't even stir." Lauren bounced into the room as if there had never been a moment of tension between them. Kyle leaned against a built-in bookcase and realized this was the first time he'd seen her without her bulky coat on. "Nice, isn't it?" she said.
    "Hmmm. Oh, the woodwork? Yes, it's beautiful."
    "It's one of the things I love about this apartment. Want some coffee? I have decaf."
    "Yeah, sure."
    She stretched to reach some mugs in a cabinet over the sink and he noticed that her long legs, accentuated by her form fitting jeans, were like that of a dancer's. They almost seemed too long for her torso. The coral turtleneck she wore tucked neatly into the waistband set off the color of her eyes and put a rosy glow on her creamy complexion.
    She busied herself in the tiny, but functional kitchenette, seemingly unaware of Kyle's study of her. He had to admit he liked just gazing at her, the way she shuffled her socked feet on the floor, the way she unwittingly pushed her hair behind her ear to reveal the soft flesh of her earlobe.
    "I hope you don't mind instant. As you can see, counter space is nearly non-existent so there is no room for a coffee maker. Why don't you sit on the sofa and take off your coat? It's almost done. Oh, and how do you take your coffee?" she asked. Lauren knew she was babbling, but she couldn't help it. She always tripped over her own tongue when she was nervous. It was the first time she'd had a man who wasn't there to make repairs in her apartment. The first of many first's, she guessed.
    "Black, please."
    With a trembling hand, she poured the boiling water into the two mugs, sloshing liquid over the brim of the second. She wiped up the spill with a dish towel and topped off her mug with milk before joining Kyle on the sofa.
    This is so ridiculous. She was a grown woman acting like a school girl with her first crush. All she needed was pompoms and a pony tail to complete the picture.
    "Your family seems so nice," she commented. Anything to keep him from staring at her like he was about to swallow her whole. She wasn't sure if the thought frightened or excited her.
    He smiled in response and his eyes lit up with such affection it made her heart ache.
    "I noticed the pictures on the television." Kyle pointed to the picture frame.
    "Krissy loves the jungle gym. She was just four years old then." Lauren clenched the hot mug in her hand and felt her sweaty palms burn against the ceramic.
    "The couple with you, are they your parents?" he asked as he got up and retrieved the frame.
    "Yes."
    He sat down on the sofa next to her and smiled warmly as he stared at the faces behind the glass. "They must spoil Kristen rotten. Most grandparents do."
    She dropped her mug on the table with more force than was necessary and regretted her gut reaction immediately. "She doesn't know them."
    His expression fell and his eyebrows furrowed. "You don't see them?"
    "No." She wasn't about to tell him it wasn't by her choice, but theirs. She couldn't stand the thought of his pity, nor did she welcome