Too Wicked to Keep Read Free

He never thought he’d see her again—never wanted to. He’d avoided taking any jobs in Chicago—hell, he avoided the whole Midwest altogether. He’d survived Abby once, but barely. A woman like her was lethal.
    Dangerous.
    Gorgeous.
    He grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair and shrugged into it. He eyed the door. His flight wasn’t leaving for another six hours, but maybe he’d be smart to head out to the airport now. Maybe he’d rent a car and drive back to California.
    Or maybe he’d just crawl under a rock.
    She leaned in close so that her breath, sweet with mint, caressed the skin on his neck and ear. “Come on, Daniel. After all these years, you’re not going to at least tell me how beautiful I look?”
    This was the advantage of meeting up again with a woman who already knew you were an asshole. He could look his fill and she wouldn’t think any less of him—it wasn’t possible. She took a step back, hooked one hand onto her slim waist and waited while he drank in the whole delectable picture.
    He deserved this. The torture of dragging his gaze up her long, tanned legs cut at his core. Her curved hips, trim waist and slim belly taunted him so that he nearly squeezed his eyes shut before he reached her sweet,round breasts. But as much as he wanted to look away, he couldn’t.
    The flavor of her skin danced on the memory of his tongue. The sound of her pleasured moans echoed through his dreams. The feel of her lips lingering on every intimate part of him was like a chained ghost, haunting him with the sins of his past.
    The irony that Abigail Albertini would show up in New Orleans the very night Danny had done the first good deed in his life couldn’t be denied. He glanced at the stupid ring his brother had shoved onto his finger less than an hour ago, as a reward for Danny’s help in rescuing Michael’s lover from a crazed rapist. His younger brother had spouted some nonsense about how the two-hundred-year-old heirloom would change his life, but Danny hadn’t believed a word.
    Now he wasn’t so sure.
    â€œLike what you see?” she asked boldly.
    He tried not to groan as she twisted sideways so that the full impact of her curves hit him like a battering ram.
    He reached for his drink.
    â€œMarriage agrees with you,” he muttered.
    The edge of her mouth quirked at the corner. “Thank you.”
    As much as he didn’t want to look, Danny made a quick survey of the bar. He’d never met Marshall Chamberlain, so he just looked for any man whose veins were popping out of the side of his skull. That’s what he’d look like if the guy who’d tempted his fiancé to cheat on him had suddenly appeared in their vicinity. But none of the guys nursing their beers or strolling through the casino looked the least bit interested in him or Abby.
    Danny clicked his tongue. The guy really was amoron. If he had a wife as passionate, beautiful and barely reined as Abby, he’d never let her out of his sight.
    Of course, he didn’t have a wife like Abby and that was no one’s fault but his own.
    â€œSo,” he said, wanting to put himself out of his misery sooner rather than later. “Where is the lucky guy? I never did offer my congratulations on your nuptials.”
    â€œThat’s probably best, don’t you think?”
    â€œI’m not known for doing what is best,” he reminded her.
    â€œSure you are,” she said, sliding on the bar stool beside him and signaling for the bartender. “As long as it’s best for you. Trust me, you and Marshall running into each other would not have been good for anyone.”
    While she ordered a bottle of champagne, Danny swigged the last of his scotch and wondered how the hell the past couple of days had gone from bad to worse. First, he’d left California for Louisiana, hoping to find his brother Michael and maybe make good on his