Must Like Kids by Jackie Braun

Author:Jackie Braun [Braun, Jackie]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romance, Contemporary, kiss
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-02-28T23:00:00+00:00

SEVEN

Alec was leaning against a lamppost, finishing up an ice cream cone, when Julia exited the school with a herd of other departing parents. She no longer looked harried. Rather, she was smiling absently, something he’d never seen his own mother do after spending any length of time in his company when he was a kid. Or as an adult for that matter. As hectic as Julia’s day had been, it was clear that she’d enjoyed herself.

She saw him and crossed to where he stood.

“You didn’t need to wait. I thought I told you that.”

“You did. I decided to stick around anyway. I didn’t have anything pressing.”

She cocked an eyebrow at that, but said nothing. It was out of character for him and they both knew it. He motioned toward the school with the ice cream cone. “So, how did it go?”

The smile was back, more focused this time, when she told him, “It was a lot of fun. The kids acted as servers for the adults. They brought our food to our tables and then took away the dishes afterward.”

“Full service.”

“Yes. If only I could get them to do that at home without complaining.”

“What was on the menu?”

“Deep-fried chicken nuggets—heavy on the breading—French fries and a side salad of iceberg lettuce that came doused in the house dressing, which I think was creamy Italian, although it might have been ranch.” Julia wrinkled her nose. “It was hard to tell.”

He grimaced on her behalf. “Hungry?”

“I’m starving!” Her laughter bubbled out. “I picked just enough to be polite, but I didn’t actually finish anything.”

“There’s a deli up the block. I could buy you lunch. Repay that debt.”

“But you’ve eaten.” She pointed to the ice cream.

“Technically, I haven’t. I’ve only indulged in dessert.” He tossed what remained of the cone into the large garbage can that was chained on the opposite side of the lamppost.

“What’s the saying? Life’s short. Eat dessert first? Hmm. I wouldn’t have taken you for the sort of person who subscribed to that philosophy.”

For the most part, Alec wasn’t. He’d made it a point to be the polar opposite of his feckless and free-spirited parents. Still, he said, “You don’t know me, Julia. You only know my image—the besmirched one and the one you’ve been hired to create and replace it with.”

“True,” she agreed with a slow nod.

“How about we remedy that? Besides, I still have an appetite.”

His gaze lowered to her mouth after saying so and he watched her lick her lips. They both were hungry and it went well beyond food. Alec had the advantage and he knew it. He could press and she would buckle, at least momentarily. Then she would spell out the ground rules again. Where was the fun in that? Next move, if there was one, would be hers.

He made the decision, but it didn’t stop him from taking her bag from her and then tucking her hand into the crook of his arm. The gesture could be interpreted as merely polite.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.