Conned Read Free

she adjusted her bag and
raised her eyes. Her entire body went still at the sight of the man standing in
front of her, still holding onto her arm, and her breath left her on a
"Wow!"
    He was tall. Much taller than her, she noted right away since
she was almost pressed against his chest. As her eyes traveled further up, she
noticed that he was also very fit and definitely the most beautiful man she had
ever laid eyes on. His shoulders were wide and sculpted and she could clearly
see the outline of his chest through the white shirt he was wearing that looked
like it was made just for him. His face… well, she had never seen a face like that before. His jaw was firm and covered in scruff making him look slightly
unkempt, but didn't take away from how handsome he was. His lips curled
slightly on one side in an amused grin and she felt her cheeks get hot when she
registered how soft they looked. She took in his dark brown hair, wavy and
curled around his ears and at the nape of his neck, but the feature that took
her breath away were his eyes. Almost cornflower blue, but darker, softer, and
watching her closely.
    "Nothing to be sorry about," he said and the deep
baritone of his voice slid over her skin, making her shiver. "I'm Conall
Brannock. You must be Emily."
    She nodded slowly and tried to smile, but it came out as
more of a grimace. God, this is embarrassing . For the first time in a
long time, she moved her gaze down to her feet and didn't look a man in the
eye. She prayed the floor would open up and swallow her or that her mouth would
for once stay shut on its own. She wanted to throw out every curse word she
knew for letting herself look so vulnerable, but it was out of her control.
    It was just her luck to be in the presence of a beautiful
man and not stand her ground. Again, another reason why she felt like she was
losing herself. She raised a teenage boy on her own, nothing was harder than
that and she still could have done better.
    She was only vaguely aware of Julia talking and telling him
how bumpy the flight had been and how she was looking forward to relaxing
tonight. She was, however, extremely aware of his gaze that hadn't left her
once. She could feel the burn in her skin from his stare, but she was too
chicken to look up. She didn't want to know what he saw and she was certain she
would find out if she looked up at him.
    "That's great, Jules. I've got a hotel room set up for
you and a driver scheduled to bring you back here tomorrow morning," he
stated casually.
    "What? You mean I'm not staying with you… both, with
you both for the night?"
    Emily sighed at the tone of Julia's voice. Whiny and
completely clueless. She finally looked up to see Officer Brannock roll his
eyes to the ceiling and it made her want to smile. She wasn't the only one then.
    "No, Jules, and for the last time, I'm not going to
sleep with you."
    Her jaw dropped at the bluntness he used with his fellow
officer and felt only a little sorry for Julia, but when the woman giggled and
put a hand on his arm and squeezed, the concern she felt disappeared. Julia had
no self respect and it disappointed her. It's women like this that make the
rest of us look bad.
    He shrugged her off with a frown and reached toward Emily,
"Here, let me take this." Without waiting for her approval, he slid
the strap of her bag off her shoulder, being mindful of the hair still tangled
there and lifted it onto his own shoulder before his frown tipped up into a
polite smile. This time, his white teeth popped into view and she immediately
got the urge to fan herself.
    "Thank you, Officer Brannock," she said, hoping
her voice didn't sound too weak and breathless.
    "Conall. Please, call me Conall."
    She smiled, but it didn't last. Julia scoffed and shoved
passed her, walking toward the luggage carousel across the terminal with an
exaggerated sway of her hips. Conall shrugged as they started to follow after
her and they both shared another eye roll.
    "I'm sorry you had to