Twilight's Encore by Jacquie Biggar Read Free Book Online Page A

follow it. Katy finished drying her hands, pulled her brush out of her purse and dragged it through her hair. Touched up her lipstick with a slightly shaky hand, and opened the door like she was headed to the gallows. The light on the far side of the living room beckoned, guiding her toward the mouthwatering smells of garlic, onions, and Italian seasoning.
    The sight of Ty standing guard over a bubbling pot of pasta while stirring a sauté pan of sauce at the largest stainless steel stove she’d ever seen, made Katy smile. This Ty she felt comfortable with. While dating they’d often spent their evenings together preparing gastronomic delights at home instead of going out to some swanky restaurant. She remembered how he said cooking relaxed him. This was a chef’s domain, from the butcher-block counter with the brass-bottomed pots hanging above, to the giant French door refrigerator. She had kitchen envy.
    “Wow. This is nice, Ty.” She smiled when he glanced over his shoulder. “It must be hard to drag yourself away for work.”
    “Some days.” He nodded toward the fridge; “There’s plenty of salad fixings in the crisper, go crazy.” His gaze did a slow sweep of her body. “I seem to remember you like your greens.”
    Which was a polite way of saying she’d always worried about her weight. They’d had numerous arguments on the subject. He’d maintained a proper diet was key to good health, while she’d argued everything a body needed could be found from the earth. She wasn’t a vegan, but could understand the draw.
    “And I remember you love a good steak, the redder, the better.” She opened the crisper and withdrew romaine, spinach, radishes, carrots, a pint of strawberries, and some balsamic vinegar. For a while there was a peaceful silence as they worked together to make dinner. Katy was just in the process of cutting up the berries when Ty joined her at the counter.
    “Anything I can do?” He picked up a sliced strawberry and popped it into his mouth.
    “Hey, leave my fruit alone,” she warned, teasing. He reached for another and she grasped his wrist, laughing. It petered out at the naked craving in his gaze.
    He brought the strawberry to her mouth, and when she didn’t open quick enough, he did a slow glide across her lips. Her tongue flicked out to catch a drip and he groaned, the low sound stroking across every nerve in her body.
    “You’re killing me,” he muttered, and his mouth hovered ever closer, teasing. Just before they made contact she thought she heard, “but what a way to go.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

    Ty would always remember his first taste of heaven. A warm honeyed mouth coated in sweet juicy berry. Soft pillowy breasts and the silken slide of peach scented hair. The breath-stealing feel of her hourglass figure beneath his hands, and the sexy little cries she couldn’t quite control. A gauge that told him better than any words how much she wanted him.
    His heart thundered like an Indy car on a perfect oval track. If he didn’t slow this down soon, Ty worried he’d crash and burn. Been there, done that. Had the scars to prove it, thank you very much.
    His lips refused to listen though, bad lips. They were intent on mapping every crease and crevice of her mouth, inside and out. Powerless against the onslaught of memories mixing with the uncertain present, Ty gave up on backing away. Instead he delved within, on a mission to replace another man’s kisses. Determined to stamp his mark upon her soul.
    He couldn’t seem to fill up on her taste; it reminded him of a decadent dessert. He knew it was bad for him, but lacked the strength to set it aside. One more lick here and a nibble just there, at the cupid’s bow of her lip. When her tongue flicked out to soothe the ache, Ty sucked it into his mouth in a game of tag where they both came out the winner.
    His hands performed braille on every inch of skin they could reach. From curvy hips to the underside of her more-than-a-handful