Read Online As Bad As Can Be by Kristin Hardy - Free Book Online

slow smile began to spread over her face. Perhaps there was a way out of this after all, a way she could have her cake and eat it, too. Maybe the thing to do was seduce him. Seduce him, she thought with an unholy flutter in her gut. If she did it right, she’d have him so focused on her that the last thing he’d think about would be the bar. He was such a straight-up guy that if he slept with her, he might even give up on the whole watch dog thing entirely. Either way, she couldn’t lose.
    But the best part was that for a while, at least, she could have her fill of him. Sex without complications, for once in her life. After all, he could hardly give her a tumble and explain to Dev they’d been sleeping together. No, they could have a purely physical fling that would satisfy both of them. After what she’d felt and tasted and touched that night in the bar, she could say that with full confidence.
    Mallory got up and began to walk in high good humor. She’d head back to the office, finish some of the paperwork and go find— She froze, staring down the street at none other than Shay O’Connor, stepping out of a shop on Thames Street and walking away from her. Oh, it was too perfect, she thought, dragging her hands through her hair to tousle it and pinching color into her cheeks. Yep, sometimes things were just meant to be.
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    S HAY TURNED AT THE SOUND of his name to see Mallory Carson walking toward him, leggy and quick in jeans and a jacket, her loose hair flying in the breeze. She was off limits, he reminded himself, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.
    He eyed her. After the way she’d stomped out of his office the previous day, he did an automatic check for weapons before relaxing.
    â€œI thought that was you,” she said as she walked up. “Doing some shopping?” There was an energy humming around her that made him uneasy. Something in her manner suggested that he was exactly what she was looking for, and he was pretty sure that wasn’t the case.
    â€œAn errand or two. How about you?”
    â€œI just like walking along the waterfront in the morning. Clears my head.” She tossed her paper coffee cup in a nearby trash can. “I also wanted to look into some of the restaurants along here. We’ve got a full kitchen and we’re licensed to serve food. I’m trying to figure out how deep I want to get into it.” She looked at him speculatively. “I’d be curious what you think.”
    The words sounded a little stilted. Given the tenorof their previous conversation, it was hard to believe that she’d had such a dramatic change of heart. He gave her a skeptical look. “What happened to the woman who wanted to strangle me yesterday?”
    She shrugged and glanced away. “Maybe I’m resigned to my fate.”
    Somehow she didn’t strike him as the type to see reason that quickly. Based on what he’d seen, he was pretty sure she had a stubborn streak a mile wide and two miles deep. “You suddenly saw the light?”
    â€œDon’t look so suspicious. Cut me some slack.”
    â€œHey, I’m all for epiphanies.” And he wasn’t born yesterday. Something was up, he could smell it.
    Mallory stopped in front of the doorway of a café that doubled as a tourist magnet.
    â€œThe Brickworks?” He raised an eyebrow.
    â€œLook, let me buy you lunch and make it up to you. We can talk about my plans. Unless you have to be somewhere.”
    He told himself it was curiosity. It wasn’t that he couldn’t make himself walk away from that fabulous face while her scent rose around him. He shrugged. “I’ve got time.”
    â€œGreat.”
    Inside, they nabbed one of the few remaining tables. Even on weekdays, the Brickworks was a powerful draw.
    Mallory spread her napkin over her knees. “Good thing I’m not starting a restaurant. I’d hate to go up against some place