The Delacourt Scandal by Sherryl Woods Read Free Book Online Page B

blatant survey of him from head to toe. “Oh, you look tough enough. I think you canprobably take care of yourself. Have a seat and tell me what’s put you in such a good mood. A couple of hours ago you looked as if you were heading off to war.”
    “In a manner of speaking I was. Battle’s over. I won.”
    “Was there ever any doubt?”
    “For a few minutes, there, it could have gone either way. Now let’s get back to you. Any luck with the job hunt?”
    “I spent the morning making calls,” she said honestly. “No leads.”
    “Why don’t you let me help you out? If you don’t want to work for Delacourt, I know a lot of other people in this town.”
    “I’m sure you do, but I need to do this myself.”
    He nodded, his expression oddly irritated. “Pride’s a funny thing, especially if you let your desire for independence overshadow common sense. It can cost you in unexpected ways.”
    She regarded him curiously. Had pride been an issue with him before? “Such as?” she prodded.
    “Sometimes it keeps the people who care about you at arm’s length at the very time when you need them the most.”
    “Has that happened to you?”
    His expression clouded over. “In a way. Enough about pride, though. What’s your game plan?”
    Since her game plan was in a state of flux and had nothing to do with job hunting, she forced a brilliant smile. “I’m taking the afternoon off. How about you?”
    “As it happens that’s exactly my intention, aswell.” His gaze locked on hers. “So, Maddie Kent, want to do something impulsive?”
    “Such as?”
    “It’s not impulsive if you have to know all the details ahead of time,” he teased.
    Her pulse promptly kicked into overdrive. It appeared that this lighthearted, victorious Tyler was even more dangerous than the brooding, vulnerable man she’d first met. No wonder he had a reputation. That smile of his could lure a woman into going against every sane, rational bit of advice she’d ever been given—to say nothing of severing the last fragile thread by which she was clinging to her ethics.
    However, his mood played straight into her own agenda to worm her way into the heart of the Delacourt clan. “Name it. I’ll go along.”
    “Come with me, then.”
    “I haven’t even eaten.”
    “Don’t worry, short stuff, you’ll get to eat. In fact, I’ll promise you the best seafood you’ve ever eaten, along with buttered corn on the cob and the perfect dessert for a steamy day like this.”
    “Lead me to it,” she said.
    He held out his hand, and after a second’s hesitation she placed hers in it. The instant she did, she knew it was a mistake. His touch sent heat sizzling through her veins and set her every nerve to tingling.
    Slow down, she warned herself. This was very thin ice, and given the temperature of her thoughts at the moment, it wouldn’t take long to melt right through it.
    “Where are we going?” she asked, then sighed when he frowned. “Sorry. Force of habit.”
    “You do ask a lot of questions.”
    “Can you think of a better way to get answers?”
    “Well, just this once, stuff a sock in it. You’ll get all your answers in due time.”
    He led her to a sporty, classic convertible from the sixties, its brilliant-blue exterior the exact same shade as his eyes. She laughed when she saw it.
    “And here I thought you’d have a rugged sports utility vehicle all covered in mud. Something practical and sturdy.”
    “I do. It’s in Louisiana. This is the car I keep to impress the ladies.” He regarded her with a grin. “Is it working?”
    “It will if you let me drive.”
    “Not in a hundred million years,” he said fervently. “I’ve worked like a fiend to restore this car. Nobody touches it but me.”
    “Then I’m not impressed.”
    He held open the passenger door. “Still coming?”
    “Of course.”
    She realized within minutes that they were heading out of town and minutes after that, concluded that they were going to the