Summer Sizzle Read Free Page B

mean.” Vicki felt it again, the increased heartbeat and the shortness of breath. This stranger, this totally inappropriate and unacceptable man, had a disconcerting impact on her senses—one that left her wanting to know much more about him and, at the same time, left her confused and wary.
    Her carefully planned future did not include a beach bum regardless of how sexy or the way he made her pussy tingle and her juices flow. The man with an important place in her life would be a hard worker. A responsible person with goals similar to hers, not some kite-flying, over-aged surfer type with no ambition, whose only redeeming qualities were a hard body, a handsome face, a killer smile, magnetic sex-appeal, and a mesmerizing voice.
    He held her gaze a moment longer before dropping his hand and stepping back. “You’ll find paper towels in the kitchen. I have some antiseptic upstairs in the bathroom.” He shot a wary glance at the caged cat before heading toward the stairs.
    She breathed a sigh of relief once he withdrew his fingers from beneath her chin, even though the sensual warmth of his touch lingered. Another tremor darted through her body. She shook it away and bent to collect the larger pieces of glass before going to the kitchen in search of paper towels.
    After cleaning up, Vicki glanced toward the stairway. Blake had disappeared upstairs without another word. Hoping to be finished before he returned, she opened one of her cardboard cartons and took out the litter box and a bag of kitty litter, the cat’s food and water bowls, and a container of cat food. She could not leave Ty-Ling confined inside the cage. Surely, it would be okay to temporarily house her cat in the laundry room with the door closed.
    “Well, what do you think, Ty-Ling?” She opened the carrier and stroked the cat’s fur. “Do you think you can leave Blake alone if I let you out? I know you don’t like being locked in your cage, but you can’t go around attacking him every time he crosses your path. Do you think you can be a good girl?”
    The cat closed its eyes and purred contentedly. She stroked it for a moment longer before shutting it inside the laundry room.
    Vicki took a quick look at her watch and wrinkled her brow into a frown. It was after five-thirty, and no one from the rental office had bothered to return her call. Something had to be resolved about exactly who had to leave and who could stay in the house. A touch of pique pulled at her sense of order when she recalled Blake’s audacity in demanding to see her rental agreement. Well, maybe demanding wasn’t exactly the right word, but he had definitely made the request in a rather emphatic tone.
    ****
    Blake quickly tended to his injuries, then started toward the stairs. He paused at the top with his hand on the banister as haunting memories from the past, stirred to the surface by Vicki’s unexpected intrusion into his life, filled his mind.
    Retracing his steps, he entered his bedroom and closed the door behind him. He stood motionless in front of his closet for several seconds, then carefully took a box from the top shelf. It had been three months since he’d last looked at the contents of the box. He thought about Vicki. About the place inside him her situation had somehow managed to touch. A place he had carefully closed off behind an emotionless wall in hopes of keeping the pain tucked away. A place where a little spark of life and emotion still fought to survive.
    Opening the box, he reached a trembling hand inside and withdrew a photograph. His gaze landed on the picture of the little boy waving from the swing. He picked up another photo, this one of himself with the same little boy flying a kite at the beach. Then he withdrew a piece of paper, and a knot of emotion lodged in his throat. He unfolded the crayon drawing of a brightly colored kite flying in the blue sky. The words below it printed in a childish scrawl.
    I love you, Daddy.
    Another twinge of despair