The Proposition (The Plus One Chronicles) by Jennifer Lyon Read Free Book Online

cellphone while she debated what to do.
    “Katie. It’s David. Open the door.”
    David. Her ex-fiancé. A clash of memories and fears rooted her to the spot. Why the hell would he come here? Had something happened to her parents? Her brother? She glanced at her phone screen, but there wasn’t a missed call.
    “Katie, I know you’re in there. It’s important.”
    It must be. For months after she’d broken up with him, she’d refused to see him, avoiding her parents’ attempts to get them back together. Only something vital would bring him to her bakery doorstep. Curiosity tamped down her anxiety enough to face him. Opening the door, she scoped out the man a few inches taller than her. It had been five-and-a-half years and he’d definitely changed, but then so had she. “What’s wrong? Why are you here?”
    “I heard about the carjacking.”
    Surprise dulled her reaction long enough for him to push past her. Kat swung around, letting the door close. “Heard?”  Once she had loved and trusted Dr. David Burke. Sure, he’d been overbearing and bossy, but that had made her feel cherished. But the brutal mugging had changed all that. Changed her. She wasn’t that trusting girl anymore. “How would you hear, David? I didn’t tell my parents or my brother, so you didn’t hear from them.”
    “I have friends at the police station.”
    Friends or spies? “Right, because you hang out with cops. Hey maybe you joined a bowling league too.”
    “Sarcasm is a low form of humor. But for the sake of argument, having goals and focus doesn’t make me a snob.” David perused the bakery kitchen. “Interesting use for your chemistry degree. Was it really worth giving up any claim to SiriX to run a donut shop?”
    She clenched her fists at his snide expression and donut-shop crack. “Yes. My bakery is worth it.” And a donut shop would be too, if that had been her dream. But that wasn’t good enough for David or her family. When she left the family company a few years ago, it had caused a bigger rift between her and her parents.
    David pushed a hand through his hair, the thinning locks a reminder of the eight year age difference between them. “That was a stupid thing to say. I didn’t come here to fight.”
    “Then why?” He never did anything without a reason. She’d learned that working for him at SiriX, and dating him. But David had been very protective of her, so it wasn’t inconceivable that he’d asked a police officer he knew to let him know if Kat was ever hurt or attacked. On the other hand, she’d stopped trusting David’s motives years ago.
    “I want to know if you’re okay.” He paused, swallowing. “I worry about you.”
    Did he? Never mind, it didn’t matter anymore if she believed him or not. “I’m fine.”
    His green eyes honed in on her. “Cops said a bystander stopped the carjacking.”
    “Yep.” The back of her neck and jaw began to throb with tension. Did he see this as an opportunity to play hero and get her back? She remembered what he’d told her when she broke up with him, and when she’d refused to take his calls, he left the same message on her voicemail. “David, I know you think I’ll come limping back to you .” Those words didn’t sting as much as they used to. “But it’s not going to happen. Now I have work to do.”
    Stuffing his hands in his pocket, he rocked back. “I was upset, I didn’t mean it when I said that. I lash out when I’m angry, it’s meaningless.” Sighing, he added, “When it comes to you…” he trailed off, looking away from her. “I lose control. Feel too much.” His green eyes, so raw and honest, hit her. “I don’t think I knew how much I loved you until I lost you.”
    An old memory surfaced—Kat had taken David dinner when he was working late as a surprise. She’d interrupted a meeting with a man she hadn’t recognized, and David lost it. He’d grabbed her arm, dragged her out of his office and told her to never do that