The Billionaire's Courageous Lover (Bold, Alaskan Men Book 3) by Elizabeth Lennox Read Free Book Online

her suggestion.  Or her invitation? 
    He’d been propositioned before, but never by someone like her.  She was too sweet and innocent looking for propositions.  Did he want her?  Hell yes!  But that’s not what tonight was about! 
    “Dinner!” she gasped.  “Why don’t you think about it, and we can eat dinner and then you can tell me yes or no at the end of dinner.  Or not,” she said as she moved into the kitchen.  She slipped hot pads on and pulled out a warm loaf of bread. 
    She had to put it on the top of the stove quickly because her hands were shaking so badly.  Goodness, this propositioning stuff was nerve-wracking!  Or maybe it was only difficult when Knox was involved.  She wasn’t sure since she’d never done it before. 
    She’d already sliced the bread and added butter and garlic, the sauce was simmering and the pasta was finished.  She’d even found real parmigiano reggiano cheese and grated it.  “There’s salad in the fridge,” she told him, and continued to busy herself trying to get dinner ready.  She was so nervous, so anxious that she just wanted dinner to be over. 
    This bravery stuff sucked!
    Knox watched her, wondering what was going on inside her head.  When she started to pass by him once again, he grabbed her arm and stopped her.  Taking the bread out of her hands, he set it on the countertop behind her.  “Andie, what’s wrong?”
    She sighed and stared at the middle of his broad chest.  “You’re the straight-forward kinda guy, and I prefer just shying away from anything painful or serious.  Except literature.  I love that.  I introduced Fahrenheit 451 this week to my students.  They thought the idea of reading it was great but…”  She looked up into his eyes.  “We should sit down and eat.  The food is going to get cold.”
    Knox accepted that she’d ventured into uncomfortable territory.  It might be turning him on like crazy to think that she’d stepped out of her comfort zone to proposition him, but he also thought she wasn’t the kind of woman who should be having affairs.  She was the marrying kind. 
    So he sat and he listened to her talk about the students, most of whom he knew or knew about. 
    As they ate pasta and cheesy bread, she started to relax, feeling somewhat better now that those shoulders and all of that incredible manliness was safely on the other side of the table from her. 
    They argued about literature and politics, and Andie had to laugh at his challenging points.  He was an excellent debater, and she had to think hard and fast to keep up with him.  He kept up his end of the conversation so there weren’t any awkward silences which helped her relax even more. 
    Knox was enchanted.  When this woman finally released some of the tension that seemed to keep her tightly coiled, he was amazed at the beauty of her laughter, the sparkle in her eyes.  She really was quite stunning. 
    And a great cook!  They had been sipping the wine after eating all of the pasta and bread she’d made and Andie was feeling hugely better with all of that comfort food in her. 
    “I have dessert too,” she told him, as she stood up to take their dinner dishes over to the sink. 
    She felt him stand as well and all of her nervousness came rushing back. 
    “What are you doing?” she asked him, when she felt him behind her. 
    “I’m helping you clear the table,” he told her simply.  But they both knew that it was more.  The look in his eyes told her that and the trembling started up, full force.  “Why aren’t you heading back home, Andie?” he asked as he turned her around.  Taking the plates out of her hands, he moved even closer. 
    She took a deep breath.  “I am home.  I love it here.”
    He shook his head while his finger moved along her neck.  “You’re too soft for this life, honey.  You’re too pretty and you’re going to get hurt.”
    She took his finger and pulled it away from her skin, disappointment