Hooked by Betina Krahn

Author:Betina Krahn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2013-09-28T16:00:00+00:00

* * *

By the time Stephanie came back down, the rich aroma of coffee filled the kitchen. She paused in the archway, staring at Finn’s broad back and assessing the way he’d made himself at home in her kitchen. She conjured a brief vision of him eating waffles at the counter bar, and an ache bloomed in her chest. He must have sensed her presence, because he turned to her with a grin and a fishing rod in his hands.

“Look what I found.” There was both teasing and accusation in his tone. “Since when do you go fishing?”

“I don’t. I. uh, thought it might make a good Christmas gift for the nephews.” She reached for it, but he pulled it out of her reach.

“Yeah. I know you’re insanely organized, Steph, but not even you start Christmas shopping eight months early. Come clean. What are you doing buying fishing equipment?”

Her face caught fire at the expectant light in his eyes. He could see right through her.

“Well, after we talked at Greer Lodge, I figured maybe I’d try it again. Fishing. To see if it really does that stuff you’re always talking about. The oneness with nature, the peace, the spiritual communication.”

“Whoa. I never said ‘spiritual communication.’ It’s transcendental communion.”

“Whatever.” She lunged for the rod and snatched air again, before realizing the move had brought her much too close to him. She backed up a step and he took a step forward. She backed another step and looked around for the coffee. That was what she needed, a big hot cup of coffee.

“You thought about me.” His grin broadened. “Admit it.”

How could she not?

“Truthfully—” she wrestled with the wording “—I was thinking about those women I saw, and how they seemed to be having fun.” She squirmed under his X-ray vision. How bad could it be to just admit the truth? She had thought about him. He didn’t have to know how much.

“They were having fun with me.” He caught her gaze for a second and she fled that contact. “Look me in the eye and tell me you weren’t thinking of me when you bought this equipment at one of my stores.”

“I was just…okay, a thought or two about you might have slipped in there somewhere.” She folded her arms, struggling to raise her defenses, feeling on the edge of something she wasn’t ready for, something she didn’t know how to keep within bounds. “And I decided to maybe give fishing a second chance.” When he looked unconvinced, she lifted her chin. “I have been known to change my mind. It’s a woman’s prerogative, you know.”

“Yeah. Those pesky double X chromosomes.” He moved closer and she slid down the counter, away from him. “Okay, I thought about you and you thought about me. That’s a good start, I’d say.”

What she saw in his eyes rattled her to the depths. Wanting. Her throat tightened. When she slid farther along the counter toward the coffeemaker, he followed, and she found herself trapped in the corner.

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.