WickedSeduction by Tina Donahue Read Free Book Online Page B

Tor
thought Marnie looked happy, maybe even free, emotionally. Whatever had
happened between the last time they’d seen each other and now, he was grateful
for the change, hoping he’d had some small part in the transformation.
    “Come in, please.” She stepped aside.
    Tor noted three things instantly—the place was immaculate,
she’d closed all the blinds even though the angle of the sun kept the rays from
pouring inside, and her queen-size bed dominated everything else in the room.
At least, in his mind. He stared at the gold-and-cream comforter, a rush of
heat making his jeans feel too tight. Forcing himself to look elsewhere, he
took in the small nightstand, a lamp with a shade boasting pink fringe, an
old-time wardrobe to the side, the narrow kitchen table, two chairs and a
closed laptop on one of the counters. The furnishings reminded him of the kind
his grandparents had in their homes. Dated pieces you couldn’t buy at Sears or
Penney’s. Tor wondered if this stuff was from the shop downstairs. He’d noted
vintage pieces in the windows when he’d run by earlier.
    “Let me help.” Marnie reached for the bag of goodies.
    Feeling mischievous, he turned away. “You don’t want to take
my art supplies?” He dipped his shoulder, as if the weight of his backpack was
dragging him down. “If you want to help, they’re heavier.”
    “Maybe, but are they edible?”
    Laughing, he handed her the bag. “Appetizers and dessert are
on top, your stuff’s next, followed by mine. I wasn’t sure what you wanted to
drink so I brought Mountain Dew and beer, both in the bottom of the bag,
wrapped good enough to keep in the cold and make sure everything else stays hot.”
    Marnie hugged the bag with the same affection Tor wanted her
to show him…as soon as she was ready.
    “Did you thank your uncle Rafe for me?” she asked.
    “With one of his cooks out, he was elbow-deep in flour. Not
a good time to talk. I figured you could gush over his food the next time, when
we actually go inside the restaurant.”
    She glanced from the bag to him, her smile fading.
    Tor’s mood took a nosedive, the same as hers apparently had. Here it comes. If Marnie wanted their relationship to remain strictly
business despite her obvious attraction, now was the time to tell him.
    “I—“ She stopped.
    He waited. Come on, honey, give us both a break. I won’t
hurt you. Fuck, he’d cut off his nuts first.
    She turned away and put the bag on the table, pulling out
Styrofoam containers filled with their food.
    Tor wasn’t certain whether to comment or not. Was she going
to ignore these last moments between—?
    “I’d like that,” she said, breaking into his thoughts.
“Going to the restaurant with you the next time.”
    He grinned as if she’d given him a zillion dollars. “Me too.
Hungry?”
    “Oh yeah. You?”
    In every possible way. “Let me help.”
    The moment he reached the table, she left to go to the door,
throwing the three locks. “Do you want a glass for your beer?” she asked.
    Tor studied the hardware she had on the door. As far as he
knew, this area didn’t have a lot of crime. Mostly fights when guys got stupid
at the bars, a few marijuana busts… “Sure.”
    She grabbed two glasses, plates, silverware and napkins from
a cabinet and drawer, bringing them to the table. Once they had the feast
spread out, he pulled out a chair for her. “Dig in. Enjoy yourself.”
    Marnie smiled so gratefully, Tor would have liked to give
her a huge hug but held off, not wanting to spook her.
    For the first few minutes of their meal, the only sounds
were the clacking of forks against plates and her soft moans as she tasted one
thing after the other—chicken cooked with olives and potatoes, drenched with a
thick, Spanish sauce, the appetizer of seasoned pork and cornmeal wrapped in a
cornhusk and smothered in sautéed onions, and finally the sweet caramel
dripping off the flan.
    “Oh my God,” she said with a full mouth. “I