Snowbound Read Free Page B

me.”
    With a sunny smile, she bounded off him,
offering him a hand up that he disdained. She shrugged and returned
to the couch. “Poor loser.”
    He wasn’t seriously injured, aside from his
pride, and he was on his feet quickly, glaring down at her as he
rubbed the sore spot on his shoulder. “How’d you learn all
that?”
    She smiled breezily. “I was into those
martial arts movies for a while, so my mom got me private lessons.
I know a couple of formal types of martial arts, but my instructor
also taught me some dirty tricks.”
    “I’ll say.” He was reluctantly impressed as
he sat down in his former spot.
    “So, kitten ,” she asked sweetly, “Do
you think I can take care of myself?”
    “I sure hope so. After that kung fu shit, I’m
relying on you to take care of me too, if bad guys come.”
    “No bad guys here,” she said with a grin.
    With more seriousness than he’d intended, he
said, “Don’t be too sure, Beth.”
    She regarded him for a moment, as though
peering deep into his soul. “No bad guys here,” she said again, and
then lightened the mood by patting his thigh. “But I’ll protect you
if they show up.”
    He laughed with her, all the while conscious
of her hand on his leg, and the way her breasts strained against
the soft sweater as she leaned across the gap separating them to be
able to touch him. His amusement fled as he contemplated grabbing a
handful of the hair she’d brushed into a shining curtain of silvery
blonde and bridging the distance. She couldn’t weigh more than a
hundred pounds, and he didn’t think she’d resist if he lifted her
to sit on his lap. It had been a while since a woman had desired
him for any reason besides being paid to, but he was pretty sure he
remembered that smoky look that came to her eyes, or the way an
aroused woman licked her pouty lips.
    If Beth wanted him, he was in big trouble.
Her father couldn’t arrive soon enough to save him from making a
mistake that he seemed helpless to stop. Getting through the
evening without touching her was an exercise in will power, and he
was relieved when she started yawning around nine and made her way
to bed. Thank goodness the rest of the group was coming tomorrow.
His tenuous self-control needed reinforcements.

Chapter Two
    Beth had slept well last night, despite her
lack of progress in getting Reed into bed. In retrospect, she’d
figured out he wasn’t the kind of man who would take a young woman
to bed for a one-night stand—especially if he discovered she was
still a member of the V-club. He seemed like the torn-up,
angst-ridden type, who wouldn’t allow himself to easily give in to
desire for someone he thought he shouldn’t want. In the light of
day—though that was more a habitual phrase than a reality, with the
grayish light coming through the windows—she was still optimistic.
Yeah, her dad would put a crimp in her attempts, but there would be
two weeks to wear down his resistance. She didn’t think she’d been
wrong about the spark of interest in his blue eyes last night, and
she sure hadn’t been imagining the erection he’d had, even in the
midst of their mock sparring.
    He looked dour when she joined him at the
table. “You’re up early,” he said, making it an accusation.
    She smiled. “I’m a morning person, Reed.”
    “I’m not.” He glared at his oatmeal. “Even
worse without coffee.”
    “Do you want me to make some?”
    He frowned. “I can make my own damned coffee,
but the pot’s broken.”
    She put up a hand. “Easy there. I’m not Snow
White.” He just blinked, clearly confused. She giggled. “As in the
seven dwarves, which included Grumpy?” His confusion cleared, but
he didn’t look amused. For some reason, his surliness made her want
to snicker instead of respond in kind today, and she chuckled.
    “Laugh it up, but I got bad news.” He
gestured to some expensive-looking communication equipment on a
nearby table. “Your old man radioed. There’s bad