Read Online Baiting the Maid of Honor by Tessa Bailey - Free Book Online

resort folks will call the police faster than you can spit. They don’t
    realize we grow our men friskier in the South, do they, Mrs. Wilcox? No ma’am, they don’t. There
    you go, one foot in front of the other. You’ve got the agility of a cougar. Not that kind of cougar, Mrs.
    Wilcox. Now who’s getting fresh?”
    The jolly couple disappeared at the end of the hallway, marking the last guests to leave. As soon as
    they left her field of vision, Julie slumped back against the wall, already reaching down to slip off her
    high heels. She gave in to the urge to sit right down on the carpeted floor and she ran her thumb up the
    arch of her foot, moaning at the sheer pleasure.
    “Careful, pixie. You keep making those sounds, I might have to join you on that floor.”
    Julie jolted to her feet as Reed strode through the double doors of the kitchen holding a tray of
    covered dishes. She hadn’t seen him in half an hour and had assumed he left. Had been simultaneously
    glad and disappointed when she didn’t see him reclaim his seat in the darkest corner of the restaurant.
    Glad, because the heat of his constant regard made it difficult to concentrate. On anything.
    Disappointed, because the heat felt so darn good. It wrapped itself around her, sliding up and down
    her thighs, belly, and breasts like a living, breathing thing. Throughout the night, she’d found herself
    positioning herself where he could see her, lest she lose the heady buzz of his attention for one
    second. At one point, she’d found herself wishing the room was empty, save herself and Reed, so she
    could join him where he sat in the dark, straddle his lap and…dance for him. Put those secret lessons
    she’d been taking to good use in a way he’d probably never see coming. Let him look at her up close
    while she moved. Feel his penetrating stare trace a path up her writhing midsection. She wanted to
    open his shirt and look at his tattoos while she performed for him. Since starting the classes, she’d
    had fantasies about dancing for a man, but he’d never had an identity before. Now, in her mind’s eye,
    Reed looked up at her in awe, lust a living thing on his face.
    When Julie realized she hadn’t spoken once since Reed’s entrance, she shook herself from her
    fevered thoughts, ignoring the look of amusement on Reed’s face. “What are you carrying?”
    “Your dinner.”
    “Pardon?” She slipped her heels back on. “I already ate dinner.” Hadn’t she?
    “No. You didn’t. Believe me.” He kicked out a chair with his foot, indicating that she should sit.
    “How can you eat when you never stop talking?”
    Julie shoved the chair back under the table. “As opposed to you, who wouldn’t say two words if
    somebody was on fire.”
    “I’m talking to you right now.”
    “It must be my lucky day.”
    “All right, fine. You leave me no choice but to play hardball.” He kicked the chair out once more.
    “Back home, when someone goes to the trouble of making you a meal, what is the polite thing to do?”
    She gasped.
    Reed shook his head. “Where are your manners, pixie?”
    Julie sat with a scowl. “Probably poisoned it,” she grumbled.
    He set the tray down on the table in front of her and lifted lids off three dishes, aromatic steam
    curling from braised short ribs, honey-glazed salmon, and a side of julienned carrots. Julie’s head
    spun as hunger assailed her, her stomach growling as if it suddenly realized she hadn’t eaten since
    breakfast. She watched as Reed grabbed the fork and took one bite from each plate, raising an
    eyebrow at her as he chewed. “If it’s poisoned, we’re both doomed.”
    “You can’t kill the devil.”
    He smirked. “Eat.”
    When she took the first bite of perfectly cooked meat, her eyes closed and she stopped caring that
    Reed sat across from her, watching her every move. The food simply tasted too good on her tongue.
    Before she could get too full, she set the fork down and leaned back in her