Summer Sizzle Read Free

steps that led down to the wide, sandy beach. The bright, airy kitchen contained an island with a breakfast bar, plus a breakfast nook in a sunny corner. Beyond the kitchen, a separate laundry room and a full bathroom with an outside door from the deck.
    The upstairs consisted of two large bedrooms, each with a door opening out to a common balcony that ran along the entire ocean side of the house. The balcony also served as a partial roof over the lower deck. The second floor had one full bathroom with a jetted tub and separate shower. The house came fully furnished, including dishes and cookware. It suited her needs exactly.
    Blake emerged from the kitchen carrying a glass of iced tea and a bottle of beer. A quick flash of movement grabbed her attention, but not in time to prevent the inevitable disaster.
    “Damn! What the hell—” The sound of breaking glass immediately followed his cry of pain. “Get the fuck off of me!”
    He shook his leg in an attempt to dislodge the furry bundle with its claws firmly dug into his bare ankle. The cat finally broke off its attack and scampered away.
    “Ty-Ling! You naughty cat.” Vicki’s first impulse had been to laugh at the animal’s antics. The same thing had happened to her numerous times. Then she saw the pained expression on Blake’s face and quickly banished any hint of amusement. “I’m so sorry. I’m afraid Ty-Ling gets a little cranky when she’s been locked up in the carrier. I…I’ll put her in another room.” Vicki rushed toward the cat, who deftly squeezed behind the couch out of her reach.
    “Look, Victoria—”
    “Please…” She glanced awkwardly at the floor, then back at him. “Call me Vicki.” Her embarrassment over the incident sent a heated flush across her cheeks. Her gaze darted nervously around the room in an attempt to avoid the disapproval she knew would be in his eyes.
    “Look, Vicki …” His annoyance covered his face and filled his voice. “I’m standing here in my bare feet surrounded by broken glass. Do you think you can leave that holy terror of a cat alone long enough to give me a hand?”
    His words elicited an immediate reaction inside her. What had been a heated flush of embarrassment turned into an incendiary moment of true mortification as her forehead heated up to match her cheeks. Her gaze leaped between the broken glass, his bare feet, and the place where the cat had disappeared behind the couch.
    “Oh, I’m so sorry.” She hurried toward the kitchen. “I’ll get something to clean up this mess.”
    “No!” He snapped out the angry retort, his words stopping her sudden flurry of activity. “Go out to the deck and get my beach sandals so I can put something on my feet and move without fear of slicing them open.”
    “Of course.” She headed for the large sliding glass door that led outside. As soon as she opened it, the room filled with the sounds of waves breaking on the sand and seagulls calling out to one another. She spotted a box kite flying in the wind with its line tied to the deck railing. A large, colorful wind sock fluttered from a pole on the corner of the roof.
    She closed her eyes and allowed the late afternoon sun to warm her face. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. The gentle breeze jangled the wind chimes. She took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh sea air. She loved the feeling of serenity the ocean provided, the inner calm chasing away all the anxieties and uncertainties that usually lived inside her.
    “Fuck!” Blake’s painful cry jerked her attention from her contemplation and back to him. She quickly grabbed the sandals from the deck and carried them inside.
    “Damn cat.” He reached down and took hold of the Siamese, pulling it away from the same ankle where it again dug its claws into his flesh, this time leaving deep scratches and several smears of blood. He held the squirming animal in both hands at arm’s length in front of him. “You’re definitely going to have to