Turn It Up by Vivian Arend Read Free Book Online Page A

stared at her lips and she fought the urge to lick them. “Right now, that’s the truth. I’d love to have them see us a couple.”
    Tasha sat up rigid in her seat. “Junior.”
    “I’m being honest. The fact is moving this relationship forward is right, Tasha. It’s right for you, and me, and it’s perfect for the baby you’re going to—”
    “Stop.” My God, he was driving her insane. There was a part deep inside that wanted to simply throw herself at him and accept his offer. The other part? Wanted to run far, far away. She obviously was having a split-personality issue. “Not tonight. I’m here to relax. Just—let’s go play and not discuss this right now.”
    His expression revealed more than he probably wanted it to. She wished she had an answer for him, but sitting on the fence still felt pretty damn comfortable. He guided her into the living room, his hand warm on her arm. They sat next to each other on the love seat Dave had claimed, crowded together, his thigh tight against hers. Every brush, every twitch, brought a part of her body into contact with his, and every bit of contact caused a reaction. Her breath sped up, her heart pounded. As the game progressed, her ability to concentrate rapidly diminished.
    The laughter filling the room echoed in her ears, hollow. She was too distracted by the warmth of his touch, the casual way he leaned against her as he laughed at Carole’s attempts to play. As another team groaned over being caught cheating. All her senses were on high alert, and every one of them wanted him to be deliberately using his considerable talent on her.
    But it was only physical attraction. Damn the way her nerves tingled, it wasn’t enough to make forever happen.
    Maxwell stiffened beside her when over an hour after the game had begun, his sister arrived with her date. Tasha did a double take, as did all the other girls in the room.
    “Oh my, where did Maxy find him?” someone whispered.
    The guy was gorgeous, with longish blond hair, face of an angel. Maxwell’s twin introduced him as Jamie, and as they joined in one of the groups, Maxwell’s head swiveled to watch them closely.
    Even with Maxwell distracted, it wasn’t enough to interrupt Tasha’s obsession with his casual touch. Her mind raced, to the point that her attention span disappeared. She could barely play during their turn. She had trouble remembering to say polite goodbyes as the game broke up. People flitted around the room and began the trek out the door. All the while, the distracting warmth of his body hovered in close proximity.
    It was like her brain had turned into some kind of Maxwell-tracking-device, to the exclusion of everything else. A trace of anger flared.
    He smoothed a hand down her arm and she jerked away, deliberately stepping back a few paces to put some space between them. Surprise registered on his face.
    “Can I walk you out?” Maxwell asked. Casual, friendly, just like always. No one around them even blinked, but Tasha held on to that flicker of heat. She was pissed at him, and at herself.
    She couldn’t make this kind of decision based on the physical rush he gave her. It wasn’t enough—there were too many single moms to prove that fireworks in the sex department didn’t mean the guy would stick around.
    “No thanks, I’m good.” She deliberately turned her back on him and grabbed Lila’s attention, hauling her friend off and asking some impulsive questions.
    Lila eyed her strangely as the rest of the gamers poured out the door.
    “Okay, girlfriend. Enough already.”
    Tasha found herself dragged back into the kitchen once more and pressed onto one of the bar stools. Defensive instinct kicked in, and she started cleaning, stacking all the glasses within an arm’s reach.
    “What’s wrong with you?” Lila asked. “I’ve seen eight-year-olds more with it the night before Christmas. You having troubles with a project or something? Because you’re certainly not here right