Trust in Me by Beth Cornelison Read Free Book Online

drawer open, and fished out the money. "Here. She can—"
    "Thank you." She snatched the money from his hand and darted for the front door. Her blonde hair flew behind her, stirring the aroma of her rose perfume in her wake. For a moment he simply breathed the perfumed air while vivid images of burying his face against the petal-soft satin of her skin taunted him. When she returned, a downcast expression and the pink flush of heat colored her face. Kevin's chest pulsed, wishing he had the power to erase the disappointment etched on her angelic face.
    "She was already gone." She walked back to the checkout counter, breathing deeply from her dash outside and held the money out to him. "I'm sorry. I should've paid closer attention. God, I feel awful. What do I do now?" She covered her face with her one hand and sighed.
    Whether rooted in conscientiousness toward her job, basic honesty or appreciation of the woman's hard earned dollars, her concern for her slip-up both surprised and impressed him.
    He slid the bills from her hand and stuck them in an envelope. "Why don't you take your lunch break? Catch your breath, get something cold to drink. I'll cover the register for you."
    She dropped her hand to her side and frowned at him. "But what about the money?"
    "Did the lady tell you her name?"
    "No." She pulled her lower lip between her teeth and nibbled its Kissable Pinkness.
    Like a kick in the gut, Kevin absorbed the urge to do his own nipping on her lush mouth. With an effort, he drew his thoughts back to the matter at hand. "What about the girl? Tell me about her."
    "Red hair. I think she called her Amber."
    Kevin nodded. "Brenda Renfro. They're peach farmers with a little roadside stand at the edge of town. I’ll give her a call and let her know we have her change." He tapped the envelope. "When she comes back, just give her this. I'll put it in the office for safekeeping."
    She still frowned. "It was a stupid mistake."
    He appraised the slump of her shoulders and fisted hands. "Yeah, real stupid. And if medieval torture were legal, I'd have you drawn and quartered for it."
    She lifted a startled gaze.
    "Well, we can't let such heinous behavior go unpunished."
    When she continued to stare at him with a puzzled knit in her brow, he stepped closer and nudged the corner of her mouth up with his thumb. Despite his warnings to himself to keep his distance, something in Claire's troubled frown called out to him, begged for his reassurance. "Smile, Claire. That was a joke. And as mistakes go, yours was tiny and easily corrected. Don't sweat it."
    Why was she being so hard on herself about this?
    Her lips responded with a timid grin as the concern and confusion darkening her expression faded. As he withdrew his hand, he allowed his fingertips to brush the curve of her cheek, and he felt her tremble. He couldn't say where he found the gumption to touch her that way, even with such a brief and light caress. The sensation of his fingers skimming her silky skin woke every nerve in his body. His body thrummed with a sharpened awareness of how smooth and soft her skin was. In reality, not just in his imagination. So much for his promise to himself to put her out of his mind. The simple touch would fuel his fantasies for weeks.
    Cripes .
    "Go on and take your lunch break," he said, hearing the odd, husky quality of his voice.
    With her gaze still fixed on his, she backed away slowly. Then she nodded and turned toward the back of the hardware.
    He was still standing by the register, savoring the heady rush from touching her cheek, when he spotted Ray going into the break room. Ray, alone with Claire, could only mean trouble. As he headed back to run interference, the bell over the front door signaled a customer's entrance. He stopped, sighed, and turned around.
    "Kevin, there you are! I brought you another strawberry pie." Mrs. Jernigan, a widowed woman twice Kevin's age who’d made no secret of her crush on him, sauntered up to the