Head Over Heels Read Free Page A

spiky blond hair, backlit by the porch light, sparked a synapse of recognition in her overloaded brain a millisecond before a deep, ironic voice drawled, “Tossing the joint for valuables, Princess?”
    She nearly tossed the statuette at his head for scaring several years off her life. Trying to get her galloping heart back down to a normal rhythm, she forced herself to carefully lower it to her side. She refused to relinquish it entirely, however. “What do you want, Blackstock? And where do you get off, just waltzing into Crystal’s house like you own the joint?”
    His voice was full of amusement when he said, “In a way, I do—at least a portion of it. I live upstairs.”
    Veronica sucked in a shocked breath. “ Excuse me?”
    He closed the door and crossed the kitchen, stopping in the archway. Hands stuffed in his jeans pockets, he propped his shoulder against the doorjamb and gave her a crooked little half smile that inexplicably sent sparks of awareness shivering down her spine. “I said, I live here. Ms. Travits rented me the attic apartment when she hired me to run the bar.”
    Marissa did that? Dear God, Mare, what were you thinking?
    Then guilt suffused her. She owed Marissa everything for holding things together when no one had known where Veronica was, or how to reach her to tell her about Crystal. Marissa had gone above and beyond the ties of an old friendship to take care of matters she never should’ve been called upon to handle.
    But renting space to this big bruiser in the house where Veronica and Lizzy had to live was not one of her smarter moves, and Veronica didn’t intend to live with it. Taking a step toward Coop, she tilted back her head to meet his gaze and said firmly, “I suggest you get a good night’s sleep, then, because tomorrow you can just go look for someplace else to rent.”
    He had the temerity to laugh. “Forget it, sugar—I signed a lease. If you have a problem with the arrangements, you move.”
    â€œDon’t be absurd. Lizzy’s been through enough—she’s going to need the continuity of at least living in her own home.”
    Something flashed across his face, and his voice was contemptuous when he said, “Like I’m supposed to believe you’re full of concern for your niece?”
    He might as well have slapped her, and Veronica’s head snapped back. “ Excuse me?”
    â€œNothing.” His face expressionless, he shrugged. “Never mind.”
    â€œThe hell I’ll never mind! What was that supposed to mean?”
    â€œIt meant you were right in one part of your little directive, sweetpea—I do need a good night’s sleep.”
    And, leaving her to fume in outraged frustration, he pushed away from the doorjamb, turned on his heel, and took the back stairs two at a time to the top floor.

2
    J AMES C OOPER B LACKSTOCK AWOKE THE FOLLOWING morning the way he always did: from deep sleep to immediate, alert consciousness between one moment and the next. Rolling onto his back, he frowned up at the ceiling at the discovery that the first thing on his mind was identical to the one he’d gone to bed with last night.
    Veronica Davis. Damn. She had no business being on his mind at all, so what was that all about?
    Tossing back the covers, Coop climbed to his feet, then stretched until his joints popped. He scratched his stomach, gave his morning erection a couple of absentminded strokes, and headed for the bathroom. Okay, it was probably just because her looks didn’t even come close to what he’d expected. He’d anticipated a woman just like her late sister. Although he’dnever met Crystal, he’d heard plenty these last couple weeks about her flamboyance and overt sexuality. Who would’ve thought little Miz Veronica would turn out to look more like Snow White instead, with that sleek black hair, those smoky green eyes, and that skin?
    Man,