April Fool Bride Read Free

good. He'd grown into his
height and was muscled in ways that affected her respiration. She
wanted to ignore the pulse that suddenly beat low in her…She
inhaled sharply and banished that thought before it was
formed. She couldn't afford to think about the way he made her
feel. About how her breasts suddenly felt hot. Heavy with need. But
neither could she stop looking at him and appreciating his body.
Broad shoulders. Heavy muscles. Was there anything sexier than snug
jeans on a man's shapely behind? She suspected that if he removed
his shirt, his stomach would have the requisite six-pack.
    Too late, she realized her gaze was locked on
his body, and she'd been standing in his kitchen staring at him for
several seconds.
    Jake leaned against a black granite counter,
arms folded. His face was alight with amusement as he watched her
take his measure. "Like what you see?"
    Maddie wheeled and walked around the kitchen.
"Yes. This is a great kitchen. Do you cook?" Without waiting for a
response, she rushed on. "What a wonderful farm table and chairs."
She stroked a hand over the distressed wood. "I love the rustic
look contrasted against the contemporary walnut cabinets." She
waved a hand at the end wall. "Someone was smart to leave the wall
of exposed brick, and that arrangement of black-framed photographs
is genius."
    Jake went about the business of setting the
coffeemaker up. "I assume you're here for some purpose other than
to discuss my decorating skills."
    Maddie fell silent as she studied the
photographs. Several showed Jake and other men, all in desert
camouflage fatigues. Another of Jake with his mother was identical
to the one Graciella had on an end table. In another, a beautiful
dark-haired woman laughed as she stood between Jake and another
man. The same brunette beauty laughed up at Jake in a picture with
the Eifel Tower in the background. Jealousy hit Maddie right
between the eyes. Who was she? Someone special?
    Maddie looked askance at him, committing
every detail of his appearance to memory. His thick, black hair was
short, not military short, but short like a male model. She wanted
to slide her fingers through the dark strands. She fisted her hands
in her coat pockets.
    He needed a shave, but the shadow of a beard
just made him look like a bad boy magnet. He looked as cold and
uncompromising as the black granite countertop. Unfortunately, his
forbidding countenance didn't negate his sex appeal. She knew she
was being stupid, but she couldn't stop thinking about how it would
feel to slide her hands over his skin. To press her body to his.
How pathetic was she to have carried a torch for him for all these
years?
    She was older now. She'd had sex. Lots of
sex. She could finally acknowledge that fact without the guilt and
self-derision that once accompanied such a stark truth. How ironic
was it that she'd never made love with the only man she'd ever
really wanted? The one man she still dreamed about. And, if he
agreed to her plan, the one man that she would never have.
    The coffeemaker suddenly hissed and wheezed
and the aroma of coffee filled the air. Jake turned his attention
on her. "Take your coat off if you want."
    My, his tone was so gracious, Maddie thought
sarcastically. "No. I think I'll keep it."
    "Suit yourself." He waved a hand at the
chairs. "Have a seat."
    She did. Jake filled two heavy diner-style
mugs and placed one in front of her.
    He carried his coffee to the chair across
from her. He blew on the aromatic coffee and sipped. Then he fixed
her with a probing gaze. "Okay, Red. Why are you here?"

Chapter 3
     
    Red. A lump formed in her throat. Jake was
the only one who'd ever called her that. A small smile pulled at
her mouth, and warmth dissipated some of her chill. The old
nickname brought back some of the happiest memories of childhood.
Before she'd ruined everything.
    She wished she hadn't come. She should have
just waited until she turned thirty-five when her trust fund would
be hers without any