The Best Thing by Jaci Burton Read Free Book Online Page B

nice place, Brody. Lots of room. You should throw a party or two here.”
    He dragged his fingers through his hair. “I got a great deal on it, and hated living in an apartment. I like open space.”
    He took in the expansive living room, with its two couches that faced each other and the chair flanking them, all the furniture kind of cozy with the stone fireplace and all. He’d loved the place when the Realtor had shown it to him. It had seemed so...big, especially after living in that cramped apartment. Plus, with four bedrooms, he knew he could make it home for a long time.
    “You want to see the rest?”
    For the first time, she smiled. “I’d love to.”
    He showed her the kitchen, and she gasped. “This is amazing. Do you cook in here?”
    “I can do breakfast and I cook on the outside grill.”
    She laughed. “That’s it? This kitchen is going to waste.” She ran her fingers over the granite countertop and started making some noises about state-of-the-art appliances. He knew a woman would like this kitchen, though he hadn’t thought about it when he’d bought the place. He’d just wanted big and spacious in everything, because where he’d lived before had been so damn claustrophobic.
    Same thing with the bedrooms. All of them were big. One of them was set up as his office, the other two were vacant, and the master was enormous, something else he liked because he’d bought a king-sized bed.
    He flipped the light on in there and Tori’s eyes widened. “Wow. How many people sleep in that thing?”
    He slid his hand along the nape of her neck and whispered in her ear, “Just me. I like a lot of room. I had a double bed in my old apartment and it sucked. My feet hung off the end and I couldn’t sleep. So when I bought this place I found the biggest damn bed I could and bought it.”
    He heard the rumble of her laugh, which made his dick twitch.
    “I understand that,” she said. “My apartment is tiny.”
    She walked into his bathroom and she made a murmur of approval. “I love the tub, especially the window over it.” She turned to him. “It needs some flowers or something. You can tell a guy lives here.”
    His stomach tightened as he thought about Tori being here, and all the feminine touches she’d bring. Like flowers in the bathroom window. “Yeah. Or something.”
    They finished downstairs. She turned to face him, her features much less tense than they’d been when she’d walked in. “It’s a spectacular home, Brody.”
    “Thanks. Would you like something to drink?”
    Tori swallowed. The tour of Brody’s house had delayed the talk he insisted on having with her, the one she’d avoided by embarrassing herself and running like hell out of the restaurant.
    “Sure. A drink sounds great.”
    They made their way back into the kitchen, where he opened that incredible refrigerator. She hated to admit to being jealous of his appliances, but she was.
    “I have beer...uh, beer, and water. Oh, and soda.”
    Needing the bolster of courage, she said, “I’ll have a beer, thanks.”
    He popped the tops off the bottles and handed her one. She took a couple long swallows, then followed him into the living room, taking a seat on one of the ultra-comfortable sofas. She liked the big double windows in the living room, could already picture a giant Christmas tree there, covered with lights and ornaments.
    “Do you cut a real tree to put in that window?”
    He followed her gaze. “Huh?”
    “For Christmas. You have such high ceilings, and that window is perfect for your Christmas tree.”
    “Oh. No, I don’t put a tree up.”
    She frowned. “Why not?”
    “Who’s going to see it, Tori? It’s just me here.”
    “So?”
    “Do you put a tree up in your apartment?”
    “Yes. It’s only a foot tall since I don’t have any room, but of course. It’s Christmas. You have to have a tree.”
    “No, I don’t.”
    “Scrooge.”
    He laughed.
    “Seriously, Brody, you need a tree. This place is