Read Online An Indecent Longing by Stephanie Julian - Free Book Online Page A

Ben again. And that thought didn’t sit well. Because she actually did want to see Ben again.
    The thought didn’t surprise her. She’d been attracted to him last night. Attracted enough to make a play for him. A play he’d turned down.
    Par for her course, right?
    So…did she leave before he realized she was up? Or did she set herself up for more disappointment?
    Well, hell. Might as well make this the second-most-awful weekend of her life.
    After a deep breath and a silent thanks that her hangover had slightly receded, she headed for the back of the house.
    On her way, she let herself look around. Other than a few framed pictures on the fireplace mantel, there weren’t a lot of decorations. Scratch that. There was absolutely no decoration.
    No pictures on the walls, no tchotchkes on the tables. Actually, there wasn’t a lot of furniture. And all of it basic, like Ben and his cousin hadn’t had the time or inclination to do more than the bare minimum. The house wasn’t huge but it felt empty.
    How long had they lived here? Had they just moved in? Was she about to meet Ben’s cousin? And what the hell was she going to say to Ben?
    The coward’s way out was looking better by the second.
    Looking over her shoulder, she’d almost convinced herself to make a break for it when she heard footsteps.
    Her head whipped around to find Ben leaning against the doorjamb, watching her with a steady gaze.
    “Good morning. How do you feel?”
    He kept his voice low, his lips curved in a smile that almost made her want to return it.
    No, not almost. She wanted to smile back. The man was even more handsome in the light of day. His hair disheveled, the curls much more defined for being unruly. And those eyes… So unusual. And so warm.
    “I’m fine. And thank you for the pills and the water.”
    His grin widened. “Figured you might need them. Sleep okay?”
    Was she imagining it or did he seem particularly interested in her answer to that question? Which was ridiculous because there was no way he could know about her dreams.
    Still, she felt color rise in her cheeks and was powerless to stop it.
    God, she so hated her inability to make small talk. She’d never been good at it.
    “Yes. I’m sorry if I put anyone out of their bed—”
    “No worries.” Ben shrugged. “My cousin never came home.”
    “Good. I mean… Thanks, again, for the place to stay.”
    “You want some breakfast?’
    She did but she wasn’t sure if she should stay or if he was just being nice. In her experience, there weren’t that many nice guys out there.
    So what’s wrong with this one?
    His smile widened as she stayed silent. “I promise it won’t involve alcohol. And I’m not a bad cook, if I do say so myself.”
    Her stomach chose that moment to rumble and her blush deepened.
    “Breakfast would be nice. Thank you.”
    “Then come on into the kitchen and I’ll make you something. Eggs, pancakes? Any preference?”
    “Which would you prefer?”
    “I’m up for anything.”
    Was she reading into things or had that sounded like a tease?
    Damn it, she wasn’t good at this shit, this male-female shit. She didn’t have the experience. Hell, she might as well just admit that she was socially awkward and be done with it.
    “Then…pancakes?”
    He nodded and turned toward the industrial-size fridge along the wall. The kitchen was all white with stainless appliances. It looked like something out of a magazine spread, something a professional chef would have in his home.
    “Is your cousin a chef?”
    Ben’s laughter bounced around the room as he took eggs and milk out of the fridge then set them on the island before turning back to the cabinets for other ingredients.
    “No. Not at all. I designed the kitchen. I like to cook so I knew what I wanted and I knew where I wanted it. My cousin said to go for it so I did. We pretty much gutted the house from basement to attic.”
    Since she’d lived in the city all her life, she knew how much that