The Mischievous Mrs. Maxfield by Ninya Tippett Read Free Book Online Page A

if hurrying me to get inside. Once I was in, he got into the driver's seat, still grumbling. "But since you're going to be the future Mrs. Maxfield, they won't dare criticize you to your face. Who knows, I might get lucky and just have them think that you're slightly eccentric and not a total bedlamite."
    I laughed. "Oh, yes, an eccentric. That's what you call people who are rich and crazy. I'd almost think you're one but you don't have enough imagination to become crazy, even just a little."
    He pulled into traffic, checking over his shoulder before giving me a surly look. "I dare say I have plenty of imagination."
    "You can't even deal with the sight of flip-flops," I argued, throwing my hands up in the air. "You don't think beaches or cold fruit drinks or some reggae music and scorching hot summers. All you think is etiquette."
    "Etiquette was merely the only thing I said out loud," he countered. "Unlike you, I don't always say everything I'm thinking of but it doesn't mean that I have any less scorching imagination than you do."
    I broke into a grin. "Oh, intriguing. Why, what did you imagine? Billowy summer dresses? Tanned bikini bodies? Long, gorgeous legs?"
    I fought the urge to pump my fist in triumph when Brandon's gaze slid to my partly exposed legs, his eyes hooded and intense for a brief second before he cleared his throat and turned back to the road, the very faint tinge of pink on his cheeks the only proof of that stolen glance.
    Predictable. It would seem as if Brandon Maxfield is prone to the usual urges.
    I decided to let him off the grill, completely aware that I might just burn myself as well.
    Now that we've mentioned scorching hot summers, I couldn't help but imagine Brandon—shirtless, barefoot, only wearing black board shorts and a sexy smile. Despite having worn a jacket to each of our meetings, it didn't take much for me to know that he had broad shoulders and a powerful physique. In my fantasy, he would be showing off the hard planes of his chests and the tight, flexing muscles of arms.
    As my eyes traveled from his shoulders to his waist, I noticed something and frowned. "Why aren't you wearing your seatbelt? Strap it on."
    "We're five minutes away and hardly anyone can drive fast in downtown," he reasoned, sounding like a mutinous sixteen-year-old. "It'll be fine."
    "Strap your goddamned seatbelt on, Brandon Maxfield!" I exclaimed sharply. "I can't believe you're idiot enough to think yourself invincible. Don't you have a care for what happens to you? If you get thrown out the window and crunched under a truck, what would your family do? How would your father cope?"
    I saw his jaw clench as if he wanted to snap back at me with some smart-ass response but he wisely shut it and secured his seatbelt. 
    "Thank you," I muttered in relief, glancing out the window as the tension drained out of my body.
    Silence filled the car for a long stretch of time.
    "That was how your father died, wasn't it?" he suddenly said, and a dulled edge of pain stabbed through me. It was dull but it didn't mean that it didn't hurt. 
    I said nothing.
    "He was driving drunk and hit a street lamp," he continued and I wasn't surprised by his knowledge of the details. Other than the fact that he researched me for this little marriage project, the facts of the accident were public record. "He wasn't wearing a seatbelt so he got thrown out of the window and was hit by a car."
    "Something like that," I bit out, still avoiding his gaze. 
    "I'm sorry. No matter the circumstances, it's hard to lose a parent."
    I snorted, gripping the edges of my seat despite my casual tone. "It's harder to lose a parent who wasn't a very responsible adult and left you with a crap-load of mess to clean up. As if to spite you further even when they're dead and cold in the ground."
    We faded into silence again but I barely stifled my gasp when I felt his warm, large hand squeeze mine for a nanosecond before it was gone. 
    I wasn't sure how to react