Single Dad (Man of the Month) by Jennifer Greene

Author:Jennifer Greene [Greene, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, azw3
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2012-07-15T16:00:00+00:00

Seven

“So he scalps them when they’re still alive. The cops realize it’s the same m.o. because they’ve come across the results of the slaughter five times now—but they don’t know why. He only preys on young women with long hair—they’re always naked and they’re always scalped—”

“Gruesome,” Ariel murmured politely. She touched the brownies. They were nicely bubbled on top, and still warm from the oven—but not so hot they couldn’t be served.

She opened the cutlery drawer for a knife, sparing an absent glance at her friend. Actually, Jeanne was more adopted family than just a pal—which was why Ariel had gone to the trouble of dragging, bribing and bullying her into coming for dinner.

No stranger, looking at Jeanne, would ever guess she was a successful writer. Her short blond hair stuck up in cowlicks, her socks didn’t match and a pair of ancient sweatpants bagged on her slight, skinny frame. Whenever she was midway through writing a book, she looked like an orphaned derelict, and God knew she’d forget to eat if Ariel didn’t occasionally step in and take charge.

“The woman has to be beautiful,” Jeanne continued. “Like his sister. Because of what his sister did to him when they were kids—”

“Hmm,” Ariel murmured encouragingly. Nothing more than ums and hmms were ever required from these conversations. There was no way her shy, gentle friend was going to be diverted from anything but blood, guts and torture.

After slicing the brownies into huge squares, she raided the fridge for ice cream and maraschino cherries, then generously scooped a double mound of ice cream on both treats. Jeanne needed fattening up. Ariel just wanted the solace of a familiar comfort food.

“So his next intended victim, of course, is the heroine. She’s already running away from an abusive husband, so she’s alone and vulnerable.”

“Hmm.” Ariel put the plate in her friend’s hand, then herded her into the living room, where both settled Indian-style on the carpet by the coffee table. Her mind was on Josh. Nothing new. Her thoughts had been snarled and tangled on Mr. Joshua Penoyer for the past three days. She’d blown men out of her mind before, though, and she could do it again.

She popped a cherry into her mouth. Her teeth scrunched down on the succulent sweet taste. It was meltingly good, sinfully, irresistibly good. Almost as good as sex.

Sex, she thought darkly, was the problem. Pheromones, hormones and all that other blasted chemistry. Josh desired her. It wasn’t tough to figure that out. But his response to her was chemical rather than emotional—he didn’t want to want her. And she didn’t mess with men who were going to cause her heartache.

She shoveled in a mouthful of brownie.

The man had scared her. She wasn’t ashamed to admit it. There were men she could handle and men she couldn’t. Josh was a “couldn’t.” Damned if she knew what had happened three nights ago, but it wasn’t funny, that overwhelming feeling of longing and belonging. It wasn’t cute, knowing she’d

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