At First Blush (A Well Paired Novel Book 1) by Marianne Rice

Author:Marianne Rice [Rice, Marianne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Star Hill Press
Published: 2018-01-23T06:00:00+00:00

Studying data, charts, businesses, crops, and even people is what Ben did best. Studying people wasn’t his forte` but he’d say Alexis was surprised to see him. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, he read the flash of shock, anger, and even a trace of longing. And she wasn’t happy about the longing part.

She wanted to be part of a team, to fit in with the townspeople who seemed to know who she was, but knew so little about her. Only that she was a nice girl who kept to herself. Reluctance was evident in her eyes every time they made headway, and then the brick and mortared wall she continued to build around her heart would block him out.

There was also a sense of pride. He saw it in the way she handled her grapes and the bottles of wine. The way she wiped down the surface of the machine. The way she talked to her dog.

In everything she did, Alexis exhibited pride.

Caving to Ben’s kisses was her area of weakness and she didn’t seem too happy about it. Alexis was a strong woman who liked to be in control. He’d have to tread lightly with her, even though he wanted to rid her of her clothes and pin her to the wall, exploring her body with his hands and mouth.

“I warn you. There’s not much to work with.” Alexis took both their coats and hung them on the pegs by the door and kicked off her boots.

Ben unlaced his boots, taking a lot longer than Alexis. He followed her, his socks sliding easily on the hardwood floor to the kitchen.

“A half box of shells, a can of tuna, some olives.” She opened the fridge. “Milk, eggs and cheese.”

“What kind of cheese?”

“Pizza cheese. The shredded kind.”

“Mozzarella?” Ben loomed over her shoulder and examined the measly contents. “Fresh basil? Tomatoes?”

“I have dried Italian seasoning, and a can of diced tomatoes.”

He reached around her for the milk and cheese, dropping a chaste kiss on her cheek. “I can work with that.” Ben liked the sound of Alexis’s breath catching, knowing he caught her off guard. The ingredients weren’t ideal but tonight wasn’t about the food. It was about the company.

“What do you…uh, want me to do?”

“Is it sexist of me to say sit there and look pretty?” He filled a pot with water and set it on the burner.

“I don’t know. But I’m not the kind of girl who can sit here and look pretty.”

Ben turned, eyed her up and down, taking in her navy flannel shirt, jeans, and smiley face socks. She had cute socks on the night they had dinner at the inn as well. Insecure wasn’t a word he’d use to describe Alexis either, but tonight she fit the role.

With the kitchen space being so small, he only had to take one step to stand sock-clad-toe to sock-clad-toe with her. And in one quick movement he placed his hands on her waist, lifting her to the countertop.

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