The Harder They Fall by Jill Shalvis Read Free Book Online Page B

whispered, stepping into the matching black sandals Celia had brought.
    “Good. So maybe I could have some made up?”
    “Absolutely,” she said, smiling into Celia’s hopeful face. “We can sell these.”
    “Thank you.” Celia’s eyes were suspiciously bright. “You know how much this means to me.”
    “Yes. We’ve been dreaming together for years, Celia. This is the year that they all come true.”
    “Yeah.” Celia nodded thoughtfully. “You were locking lips with the scientist guy today.”
    Trisha sighed. “Don’t tell me how stupid it is. I already know.”
    Laughter flickered in Celia’s expression. “It’s only stupid if the kiss went bad. Which, given my view of the thing, didn’t happen.”
    No, it hadn’t been bad, not by a long shot. “It was a bout of temporary insanity. I’m not interested.”
    “Okay.”
    “We’re too different,” she said, echoing Hunter’s sentiments.
    “Okay.”
    “And—”
    “I said okay .” Celia interrupted with a laugh. “But methinks the lady doth protest too much.”
    Celia’s last comment gave Trisha pause on her short drive home. Had she protested too much? Was there any reason why she couldn’t enjoy Hunter and her newfound freedom at the same time? Of course not.
    But she sensed within him a hesitation that matched her own. He didn’t want anything between them any more than she did. Even that fiery kiss they’d shared had made him frown thoughtfully. No, he wouldn’t be chasing her anytime soon, though she didn’t know why not.
    But it was fine with her, just fine.
    Turning onto her street, she sighed. She loved this quiet, oak-lined street beyond reason. She pulled into the driveway of the duplex, thinking she also loved this house beyond reason.
    Oh, the place needed work, but beneath the shabby exterior lay the strong, beautiful, turn-of-the-century house she wanted to live in forever. Each room had character, and she just couldn’t imagine leaving.
    Yet she knew without being told, her days at the duplex were limited.
    Only if she let them be.
    Eloise had made her a promise, and God bless her soul, Trisha was going to do her best to make sure that promise was kept.
    Hunter Adams, if he chose to stay, was stuck with her.
    Hunter’s salvation, which was and always had been work, would have to wait. Much as he craved the pleasure of researching, drawing up data/theory comparisons, developing his projects, and designing them to fit into his missions, he couldn’t very well go off and leave the duplex as it was.
    The floor had sagged under the flow of water from Trisha’s refrigerator. For all he knew, the damn thing could give and he’d have a gaping hole—again. But at least Trisha had just been kidding about another peephole. He sighed, breathed deeply for patience, and once again gingerly touched the soggy floor with his toe.
    The black cat Trisha had called Duff strutted into the kitchen and eyed him. His tail swished, silently suspicious as only a cat can be.
    “You see this?” Hunter asked the cat, nodding to the floor. “Do you see what she’s done?”
    “Mew.” Duff sauntered over to his bowl, sniffed delicately, and turned up his nose at the dry food. Coming close, he bent his head and rubbed it over Hunter’s ankle.
    “Flattery will get you everywhere.” He scooped up the cat and stroked its sleek back for a long moment before letting it go.
    Then he tested the floor again, concerned. “The woman is a walking disaster,” he muttered. “And I have a feeling she’s only just begun wreaking havoc on my life.”
    Duff meowed his agreement and steered clear of the sinking floor.
    No doubt about it, the entire thing would cave under too much weight. The linoleum, already old, had peeled back at a seam, and the water from the freezer had seeped deeply into the crack. Beneath, the plywood had rotted. God only knew what lay beneath that, but hopefully some pretty sturdy joists.
    He took in the rest of Trisha’s clean but