Catching Claire Read Free Page A

pursed. “I see your point.”
    Ridge poured a mug of coffee and offered it to her.
“Want milk?”
    “No, thanks.” Accepting the mug, she sipped.
    Ridge poured himself a mug and stirred in a spoonful
of sugar. “My father’s a herpetologist—a reptile scientist,” he
explained. “Fargone was a rescue snake. His previous owner was a
meth head. At some point, Far lost an eye. Then the guy overdosed.
A neighbor took the poor snake to a shelter. They said another day
and the creature would have been too ‘far gone’ to help.” Ridge
shrugged. “The name stuck.”
    Her lips twitched. “Didn’t the neighbor know the
snake’s real name?”
    “He and the meth guy weren’t close.” Ridge
maintained his focus above Claire’s alluring chest. “Anyway, when
it became apparent no one wanted to adopt a one-eyed snake, the
shelter contacted my father for advice, and my dad brought Fargone
home.”
    “Where’s your dad now?”
    “In China, exploring the Great Wall and visiting a
Giant Panda reserve. It’s his honeymoon. He and my new stepmom Ruth
return in ten days. Then I’ll move back to my place.” Rosewood, the
Seattle suburb where his father, Ruth, and Alicia Maxwell all
occupied the same apartment building, sat too far from med
school.
    “Where do you live?” Claire asked.
    “The University District. I have two roommates.” He
sipped his hot coffee.
    “I’m in North Seattle, too,” she replied. “Ballard.
But I work downtown.”
    “Ah, the lady remembers something.”
    A blush splashed her face.
    Shit, he’d done it again. “Don’t feel embarrassed,
Claire.”
    “How can I not? I literally threw myself at you last
night. If you weren’t a gentleman—”
    “But I am.” He grinned. “To a point.” Like if she
didn’t cover up STAT.
    Leaving his mug in the kitchen, he strolled to the
sofabed and collected the red plaid robe matching his pajama
bottoms—both last year birthday gifts from Ruth.
    He walked back to Claire. “Wear this. It’s easier on
my eyes.” Not likely. But his dad had raised him right. “Not that I
don’t appreciate what you have on, but this is better. For both of
us.”
    Claire put down her coffee and slipped into the
robe. Wrapping the flannel over her breasts, she asked, “Do you
really have a one-eyed snake?”
    He couldn’t resist. “I have two.”
    Her blush deepened. “Sorry, your father’s snake. I
have a horrible headache.” She pressed two fingertips to her
temple.
    “I’ll get aspirin.” Ridge popped into the bathroom.
When he emerged with the tablets and a glass of water, Claire was
sipping from her mug and studying the framed photographs on the
living room walls. Most featured Ridge’s father and Ruth on their
many adventures. In the last few years, they’d traveled to Israel,
Peru, and now the Far East.
    Ridge dodged his upended cereal bowl and strode in
bare feet to his guest.
    “Thanks.” Claire traded her coffee for the water. He
held her mug while she downed the aspirin. “I recognize these
ruins,” she said, pointing out an enlargement. “Where is this
place?” She ran a hand through her tangled hair.
    “Machu Picchu, in Peru.” Ridge stepped closer to the
picture. “That’s my dad and Ruth at the view from the Machu Picchu
gatehouse. The small mountain in the background is called Huayna
Picchu. They climbed it later that morning. He asked her to marry
him there.”
    A smile curved Claire’s mouth. Not a loopy one, like
last night in the laundry, but a small, slightly shy smile that
flipped his arousal switch. He’d love to wake up to a smile like
hers…kiss her until she moaned...make love with her until she
called his name, over and over.
    “I’d love to travel someday,” she murmured.
    He filed away the fantasy. “Me, too. I need to
finish med school first.”
    As her head tipped, her wavy brown hair grazed the
robe. “You’re a doctor?”
    “On my way. Stripping helps pay my tuition. That and
my other part-time