The Ties That Bind by Liliana Hart Read Free Book Online Page A

become. She barely ate, trying to slim down the curves he found so distasteful. She barely spoke, knowing if she didn’t talk then nothing would come out of her mouth that would embarrass Paul. And she faked her orgasms just so he would think she was putting a little effort into their lovemaking.
    She knew Paul had been a controlling prick by the time their wedding date had come around, and she thanked God every day that he hadn’t shown up to the church that day. He’d saved her a hell of a lot of grief in the long run, but he’d damaged part of her, and she was still working like hell to get back to the person she really was. To not let those old doubts sneak up on her.
    Bayleigh wiped away the tears that had managed to escape and padded back into the bedroom. It didn’t matter what her new neighbor thought. No one had ever said the Devil was nice.
    Now if she could avoid him for the rest of her life, he’d make the perfect neighbor.
     

     
    “Oh, baby,” Shane, Cade’s youngest brother, said, still laughing at Cade’s expense. “I think I’m in love. Are you sure you don’t need a roommate?”
    “Shut up and let’s get the rest of this stuff inside.”
    Cade hefted his flat screen TV off the truck and headed inside, ignoring his brothers’ laughter. He should have known they wouldn’t be able to drop it. They were like pit bulls the moment they sensed weakness.
    The urge to go next door and apologize for his behavior was a heavy weight on his chest. He’d hurt her, and there’d been no need for it. When he’d mentioned being left at the altar, her face had paled and her blue eyes had lost the sparkle he’d found perversely arousing when she’d been arguing with him. It was as if the life had all but been sucked out of her. Hell, he’d actually enjoyed watching her in action. It wasn’t often he ran across a man who had the courage to argue with him, much less a woman.
    Cade scowled as he overheard the conversation from the other room.
    “She’d never go for you, Shane,” Declan said. “You’re the runt of the litter.” Cade thought it ironic since Shane was every bit as large as his two older brothers. “A woman with a body like that could only appreciate a real man.”
    And boy did she have a body, Cade thought, irritated his brothers had noticed. She was his neighbor, dammit. Didn’t that mean he had some kind of claim? He shook his head in disbelief. His brothers were turning him into an idiot. He wasn’t about to claim any woman.
    He headed back to the truck for another load, but they followed him with their incessant chatter, as if they were women instead of warriors. It didn’t matter she had the kind of body that had always been his weakness. He liked curves. No, he loved curves. And she had assets that would fill his hands nicely—breasts that were luscious and full and an ass that would look spectacular bent across his lap as he spanked the rounded globes until they glowed red.
    Dammit. He’d be coming in his jeans if he kept up that avenue of thought. The distraction of a sexy neighbor wasn’t what he needed at the moment, and she wouldn’t be an easy woman to get involved with. She’d have expectations, and she wouldn’t hesitate to give her opinion if he did something stupid. That is, if his first impression of her was correct—and his first impressions were always correct. The best thing he could do was stay far away, despite the erection that hadn’t disappeared since she’d twitched those curves across the scrawny patch of grass between their houses.
    “You know, when I was checking the security around the house last night I noticed you could see right into her bedroom from the back deck,” Shane said, shaking his head in mock sympathy at Declan. “It’ll be totally wasted on Iceman here. But I can certainly appreciate attributes like that on a woman. And did you see all of that hair? It’s enough to make a man want to beg.”
    “Fifty bucks says she’s not