Upside Down by Liz Gavin Read Free Book Online Page B

cook, when the doorbell rang. I greeted Mark, still holding my wooden spoon, so I just pecked a quick kiss on his lips before rushing back to the stove.
    “Sorry about that, Mark, but I need to put this spoon back where it belongs. Please, make yourself at home. You know where the wine is. Would you be a dear and pour us some?”
    I c ould hear his chuckles as he closed the front door.
    “You are always doing two or three things at the same time, Carol,” his voice sounded nearer as he walked down the long corridor towards the kitchen. “Cooking, answering the door and I bet you have been checking the Asian stock market, as well.”
    He point ed to my tablet on the kitchen counter beside my mixing bowl.
    “Guilty as charged,” I repl ied as I threw my arms around his neck and snuggled closer to him. “I told you I wanted to cook something for you tonight because you’re always taking care of me. I thought it would be nice to take care of you, for a change,” I scattered light kisses on his nose and cheeks as I explained myself.
    “But you take care of me in many other ways, Carol ,” his hands pulled me by my hips until we were intimately joined. It felt like heaven.
    “I’m sorry you came in before I finished cooking and I had to greet you in a hurry like that. Let me try to make up for that.”
    My hands traveled down his back to his gorgeous butt ocks and I squeezed him lightly as I pulled him closer for a hungry kiss. I played with his mouth, sucking at his lower lip before slanting my mouth over his and teasing his tongue with mine. I licked his upper lip then ran my tongue lightly along the roof of his mouth.
    Mark shiver ed, I chuckled, but he muffled my sounds with his hot tongue invading my mouth. He crashed my body against his hard chest as his hands pressed the small of my back before he buried his face in my hair. I felt faint and grabbed his shoulders for support. We locked our mouths and bodies in an endless kiss until we were both breathless. I stopped it, stepped back and took a deep breath to calm down.
    “Wow ! That is a proper greeting, boss.”
    “I’ll say! Now, go get that wine while I finish our dinner. I’m afraid we won’t eat anything if I don’t keep my hands to myself.”
    Mark ’s laughter echoed through the stairwell as he went down to the cellar. He climbed up the stairs carrying a bottle of red wine. He quickly found two wine glasses in the cupboard above the sink, opened the bottle and poured the rich liquid. When I grabbed my glass and tasted it, I looked him in the eyes and smiled.
    “Hmm, you know your wine, mister. This is one of my favorite Bordeaux - Château Lafite Rothschild. Which vintage is this?”
    “2005 ,” he answered without checking the label.
    “You do know your wine, Mark. This was a great year. Cheers.”
    We toasted, sipped our wine and sat down to talk. I had put the eggplant in the oven while Mark was in the cellar so now we needed to wait some minutes until we were able to eat it.
    “ How is your knee, Mark? Does it still bother you? You seemed in pain when you climbed up the stairs.”
    “Well, you know, since the accident and the surgery it hasn’t been the same. Some days it hurts more than others, though.”
    “But the police has caught the truck driver, right?”
    “Yeah, he was arrested last year. My lawyer said he’s going to stand trial in a month or two. I’ll be very happy to see the bastard behind bars.”
    “I’m sure you will. A drunken driver who killed two pedestrians and almost ran your car over must rot in jail. Is there anything I can do for you about that?”
    “ No, Carol. Thanks. I’ve got it.”
    He squeeze d my hand lightly and gave me one of his trademark smiles. The sincere kind, though. I had seen Mark dazzle people with the widest, fakest grins and they would never have guessed how angry or annoyed he really was. The oven timer went off, I put the steaming pot on the table in the dining room and we finally