Thwarting Cupid Read Free Page A

it.”
    Kelvin touched the Bluetooth on his ear. “What are you talking about? I’ve been on the phone all morning. Lining up auditions and callbacks for you. I’ve earned every scrap you ever tossed my way.”
    And just that like that, Carissa knew why she recognized him. This was the jackass who’d rear ended her that morning. Her focus zeroed in on the guy almost to the exclusion of everything else. Before rational thought returned, she stomped over to the two men.
    “You!”
    They both looked at her surprised. Kelvin held up his hands. He stepped between her and Robby. She had no doubt that the obtuse man had no idea who she was.
    “My client is very busy. No autographs.”
    His response served to make her that much more angry.
    “This is what you were doing when you slammed into the back of my car this morning? Making phone calls for a client who’d fired you?” Carissa glared at him. It took a moment, but recognition dawned on his face at last. Coward that he was, he backed up a bit. Just enough so that Robby now stood between the two of them.
    “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He cast a look around the martial arts students. None of them were even pretending to continue with their training. “This woman is crazy.”
    Carissa cocked a hip and planted a hand on it. “I’m crazy? I’m not the one mowing down other drivers and then leaving the scene. Hit and run. Does that mean anything to you?”
    Fear flashed over the man’s face. Robby frowned and looked at the guy.
    “Loser. You wonder why I want nothing to do with you.”
    “No, no. She’s making it all up. Robby, you have to believe me.”
    The man was an inch from begging. Part of Carissa wanted to feel sorry for him. The other ninety-nine percent of her being wanted to make him suffer. She pulled out her cellphone and snapped his picture. She gave him a humorless smile.
    “Perfect. I’ll see that Officer Garcia adds this to the case file. So he’s sure he’s tossing the right man in jail to rot.”
    Panic settled on the man’s face. “Give me that!” He lunged at her. Carissa dodged away.
    “What? It wasn’t enough for you to total my car? Now you want to steal my cellphone? Dream on.”
    “Give me that phone!” he demanded. He looked as serious as a heart attack when he advanced on her again. Carissa decided to cut her losses. She turned and walked away. Kelvin followed.
    “I am not playing with you.”
    Carissa picked up the pace. So did he. She broke into a run.
    “Get back here!”
    He chased after her. Carissa held tight to her phone and sprinted the best she could in the shifting sand. Despite his suit and dress shoes, he gained on her. She checked over her shoulder to see how close he was and ran dead smack into another man.
    “Oof!” Air whooshed from his lungs.
    Both Carissa and the man she’d barreled into sprawled to the ground in a tangle of limbs. She was so focused on keeping her phone safe, she just noticed in passing how solid the chest was that she used to leverage herself back to her feet. Before she knew it, Kelvin was upon them both. He grabbed her arm and yanked her up.
    “Let go of me!” she demanded. Carissa struggled to keep her phone away from Kelvin.
    “Carissa?” She froze when she heard a man say her name. “Are you all right?”
    “Yeah, I’m–Hutch?” She finally took a good look at the man she’d crashed into. He was still in the process of picking himself up off the ground. He dusted the sand from his khakis and dress shirt. Kelvin was all but forgotten while she enjoyed the view. And he was still quite a view. Broad chest, lean hips, thick brown hair that always looked just a bit long, glorious green eyes and full lips that would be just right for kissing. Okay...she was getting a little beside herself. Move on, girl. Last time they'd talked, he'd been in a pretty serious relationship. That made him off-limits.
    She needed to focus on the problem at hand. Feeling bold now