Read Online Charmed and Dangerous by Lori Wilde - Free Book Online Page A

science.”
    “So tell me, is there anything you do know?”
    “I know you’re a nosy pain-in-the-ass,” he said and glared at her.
    “Watch the road,” she said and automatically braced the flat of both hands against the dashboard.
    She hated it when drivers took their attention off the road. Her sister was the world’s worst. Cassie could talk on the cell phone, eat a bagel and apply mascara all the while hurtling down the freeway at seventy miles an hour. Maddie shuddered just thinking about it.
    David might have muttered “bossy wench” but she could have misunderstood him. In actuality, he probably said something far less complimentary. You never knew about men.
    Silence descended, broken only by the sound of Maddie’s rumbling stomach.
    “You hungry?” he asked.
    “Yes.”
    “We don’t have time for a restaurant. Fast food in the car suit you?”
    “Anything.” She nodded. As any athlete, she wasn’t much for greasy fries and burgers but under the circumstances she’d take what she could get.
    “Ah, the ubiquitous burger franchise,” he said, wheeling the car through the drive-through. “What’ll you have?”
    “A salad. Fat-free Italian dressing. Hold the croutons.”
    “It’ll be kinda hard to eat a salad in the car. I’ll get you a burger.” He pulled up to the order box. “Two cheeseburgers, a couple of orders of fries, two chocolate shakes and an apple pie,” he said into the intercom. To Maddie he asked, “You want an apple pie?”
    “I want a salad.”
    “Just one apple pie,” he cheerfully told the anonymous female voice taking his order.
    “That’ll be twelve fifty-eight, sir. Please drive around.”
    Maddie plucked a twenty from her purse and held it out to him.
    He waved her off. “My treat.”
    “If you planned on telling me what to eat, why did you ask what I wanted?”
    “Because I’ve figured something out about you,” he said, paying for their order and handing her the sack of burgers.
    The food smelled so good Maddie feared she might start salivating. He took their chocolate shakes from the cashier and slipped them into the console cup holders.
    “Oh, yeah?”
    “Yeah.”
    “What’s that?”
    “You’re the type of woman who does what’s good for her whether she likes it or not. You toe the line so you can take care of everyone else. But secretly, you’re just waiting for an excuse to let down your guard and do something wild like your adventurous sister.”
    “Ooooh, you’ve got my number, all right.” She waved both hands in the air. “I’ve just been dreaming of a man who would come along and force-feed me junk food. Yeah, buddy, it doesn’t get any wilder than that.”
    “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
    He chuckled and the deep sound wrapped around her like a comfortable hug. He was teasing her and damn, if she wasn’t enjoying it. Why did she feel charmed by him? She should be irritated, aggravated, annoyed. Instead her insides went all whooshy.
    This wouldn’t do. Not at all.
    “What’s that crack supposed to mean?” she asked in a quarrelsome tone. She would pick a fight with him if she had to. Anything to eradicate this warm, soft fuzzy sensation arrowing through her heart every time he glanced her way.
    “You gotta start small.”
    “I get it. Today it’s hamburgers, tomorrow the world.”
    “Something like that.”
    “You’re so full of bullshit. Obviously, you’ve confused me with my sister if you’re thinking I’m just waiting for some big strong man to come along and tell me what to do.”
    “Now, now. Don’t disparage your sister. She might be in trouble, but she’s a good woman. She just falls for the wrong kind of guys. You’re lucky you have a sibling.”
    He smiled and his teeth flashed white in the illumination of the neon lights. The lighting softened his rugged features and the tender look in his eyes took her by surprise. Maybe he wasn’t such a hard-ass after all. Could this tough guy be like the