Beauty & the Beast Read Free Page A

Tess flattened her hands on her brother’s chest, turned him around, and pushed him toward the door.
    “No hitting the dog,” her brother said.
    “None. Ever. JT would never hurt a fly.”
    “You have her feeding schedule. Her food. She needs two walks a day.”
    “Yes. Yes, yes, yes.” And if I didn’t owe you for covering for me when I forgot Cousin Sal’s birthday, someone else would be walking her. Like at a boarding facility.
    At the door, her brother turned back around. “Don’t forget to brush her teeth before bedtime.”
    Brush her teeth? Oh, my God.
    “No problem.” She opened the door.
    “Ouch! She bit me!” JT howled.
    “You’re upsetting her with this long, drawn-out goodbye,” Tess told her brother.
    “I love you, Mochi,” Jamie sing-sang in a lovey-dovey voice. “Be good for Aunt Tess and Uncle JT!”
    She firmly put him outside like a garbage can and shut the door in his face. Then she fell against it and sighed before heading across the room to assess the damage. Clutching Mochi against his chest, JT was staring in horror at his right arm.
    Two tiny pinpricks stared back at him and Tess. Mentally she rolled her eyes. She loved JT, but she did not love his hypochondria. “Let me get the antiseptic.”
    “And the rabies shot,” he grumped. “Remind me again why we’re doing this.”
    “It’s nothing. Like I told my brother, we’ve got it.” She retrieved the first aid kit from behind the bar. And a bottle of Scotch.
    “How long are we doing this?” JT asked.
    “A week. We can do anything for a week.”
    “Hah. Trying holding your breath for seven days. Please hurry with a bandage. I’m bleeding all over the floor.”
    A flutter of nausea caught Tess off guard. It was one of many flutters she had experienced lately. No, I can’t be , she thought, and an image of the unopened pregnancy test kit that she had bought yesterday flashed through her mind. The kind with the little stick you peed on, and then if a cross appeared in the little circle, it was positive.
    “And for your information, I would hurt a fly. I’ve been known to beat up bad guys. I am very fierce.”
    “Yes, JT, you are fierce. And brave.”
    Much braver than Tess.
    No way was she peeing on that stick.

CHAPTER FOUR
    Something tells me that he’s not nervous because he’s going to propose , Heather thought, as she and Ravi finally snagged his gin and tonic and her appletini at the charity dinner’s rooftop bar. The line was a mile long. Her rash was on fire. Ravi was looking everywhere except at her and while she’d had a lot of bad experiences with guys, that translated into a lot of experience, period, and she knew a brushoff when she saw one. She may as well face the truth now. Ravi just was not that into her.
    Then suddenly he brightened, set his drink down on the edge of a burnished planter containing a miniature Italian cypress, and enfolded her in an embrace. She inhaled his spicy cologne with her sharp intake of breath and allowed herself to melt against him. So much for the brushoff and hello cuddling.
    “Heather,” he breathed. “Forgive me for seeming so preoccupied.”
    “You had a rough day at work.” Her joyous words were muffled against his neck.
    “That’s no excuse for ignoring such a beautiful woman.” He nibbled on her ear and gathered her up even closer. “I need to learn how to turn off.”
    On. You need to turn on. “I can help with that,” she said huskily. Her mind traveled to where her body was already going, and she caught her lower lip between her teeth in sudden panic. Wait. How could she get naked with him? With this hideous rash?
    “Um,” she said. His hands were following the curves of her chest, and the fingertips of his right hand were dipping into the pocket of her jacket. They came back out as if he had realized he’d made a wrong turn.
    Then he kissed her with such intense passion that her head swam. Just as she was getting into it, he released her.