Read Online Blown Away by Cheryl Douglas - Free Book Online Page A

when she lifted her head. “Or two.”
    “You may be
able to,” she said, slapping his chest, “but I can’t. I don’t have
hundreds of people to pick up the slack when I’m not there.”
    He twisted a
strand of long blond hair around his finger and asked, “How many
employees do you have?”
    “Four.” She
traced the dusting of hair on his chest. “Vivian is my
receptionist, Tara’s my marketing and P.R. person, Harold’s my I.T.
guy, and Heather handles accounting and bookkeeping. I deal with
all of the clients personally.”
    “Harold, huh?
What’s his deal?” Brent knew he was doing a terrible job concealing
his jealous streak, but he hadn’t come so far to risk losing
her.
    Ava giggled.
“He’s fifty four and just became a grandfather for the first
time.”
    “Perfect.”
    “You’re too
much.” She trailed her fingernails over his ribcage.
    “So, how about
dinner tonight? I’ve got a meeting at six, but I could pick you up
by eight.”
    “I can’t. I
have plans.”
    His whole body
tensed and his hand stilled on her back. “What do you mean, you
have plans? With who?”
    “I’m having
dinner with a client.”
    “What the hell
does that mean?” He lowered his voice when he realized he was on
the verge of shouting. “You date your clients?”
    “Don’t be
ridiculous. Of course not.”
    “Then why are
you going out with--”
    She cut him off
as she sat up and reached for the robe at the foot of her bed. “My
clients are busy people. They often have to combine business and
pleasure. Sometimes I meet them outside of my office for a status
report.”
    “What do you
mean ‘a status report’?” He was getting a headache and it wasn’t
even seven a.m. That woman would be the death of him.
    “I like getting
a first-hand account of whether their dates were successful or not.
I need to know what they liked or didn’t like about the dates I
selected for them so I can find a better match next time.”
    “Let me get
this straight,” he said, watching her slip into her soft, pink,
silk robe and tighten the sash. “You’re going out with a good
looking, single, rich guy who’s looking for a life partner?”
    She padded
barefoot into the walk-in closet. “That pretty much sums it
up.”
    “No way.”
    She glared at
him as she folded her arms and leaned against the doorframe. “I
don’t recall asking for your permission. You asked if I could go
out with you tonight. I said no. End of discussion.”
    He watched her
walk down the hall and cursed as he jumped up to pull on his pants.
“We’re not finished. I said you’re not--” He stopped himself just
before the words slipped out. If he started issuing orders, she
would tell him to get the hell out and not come back.
    Sitting on the
edge of the bed, he glanced at the rumpled sheets. They’d made love
several times during the night, and every time, he lost a little
more of his heart. He couldn’t lose her, but if he didn’t get a
handle on his possessiveness, he would. How could he feel secure in
a relationship that made him more susceptible to heartbreak than
he’d ever been?
    He took a few
deep breaths before heading down the hall. “Do you mind telling me
who your client is?” he asked when he found her in the kitchen.
    “I can’t,
sorry. Confidentiality.” She pointed to a carafe of fresh coffee.
“Help yourself.”
    He didn’t want
coffee. He wanted answers, but he couldn’t push too hard, so he
decided to change the subject. “You like coffee now?”
    Ava wrinkled
her nose. “You corrupted me.” Shooting him a side-long glance, she
said, “I can’t drink a good cup of coffee without having flashbacks
of that night.”
    Coming up
behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her
neck as he watched her slide the spatula under a ham and cheese
omelet. “Tell me more.”
    “Your ego’s big
enough already.”
    He smirked. She
wasn’t the first person to tell him that, but normally only his
brother got