Read Online Crimson and Clover by Juli Page Morgan - Free Book Online Page A

Should I ask Nicky if he’s heard … ”
    “Are you completely insane?” Katie interrupted. “No, don’t ask Nicky anything! The last thing I want is that bunch of hooligans knowing Jay’s brushing me off. They gossip worse than a bunch of old women.”
    “They do, don’t they?” Maureen giggled. “Blows that whole ‘male mystique’ thing right out of the water.”
    “No shit.” Katie’s mouth sagged in a glum pout. “But let’s keep this between you and me, okay? It’s really got me bummed out.”
    “You can trust me to keep my mouth shut,” Maureen assured her. “My lips are sealed.”

CHAPTER EIGHT
    Under Katie’s flower child exterior beat the heart of June Cleaver, minus the pearls and starched dresses, of course. She had always been something of a laundry freak, declaring that the smell of freshly dried sheets was almost a turn-on, but washing dishes didn’t fall into that category. No matter how much she liked keeping a tidy house, dishwashing would always be nothing more than a chore.
    She wiped quickly at the plates in the drainer, wanting to have it over and done so she could sit down and read more of the Harlequin romance she’d picked up a day earlier. The story of Casey O’Shane and her tutor from England, the dashing Cromwell, was a good one, and Katie couldn’t wait to get back to it. A knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts and she glanced over her shoulder.
    “It’s open,” she called. “I’m in the kitchen.”
    When Jay Carey appeared in the doorway between the two rooms, she almost dropped the plate in surprise. “Hey, there.”
    “Hello.” He smiled and sketched a wave. “I hope you don’t mind me dropping in unannounced.”
    “Not at all. Want some coffee?” She sent up silent thanks to whatever deities might be listening that her voice was steady and calm.
    “American coffee?” Jay asked as he pulled out a chair and sat down.
    “That’s the only kind of coffee you’ll find in my house,” she assured him.
    “Good. I will have some, then. In a cup about this big.” He measured out the distance of a foot between his hands.
    Katie grinned. “Barring the size of the cup, I think I can fix you up.” She reached into the cupboard and pulled out a mug. She filled it from the pot that sat warming on the stove and set it before him. “Cream? Sugar?”
    “God, no.” He shuddered. “Why ruin a perfectly good cup of coffee?”
    “Wow.” Katie clasped her hands together in front of her chest in a parody of adulation. “You really are perfect, aren’t you?”
    Jay snickered and applied himself to his coffee. Katie turned back to drying the few remaining dishes and watched him from the corner of her eye, trying not to swoon. His dark hair curled against the thick grey turtleneck sweater he wore to combat the chill of the October day, and dark jeans so tight she wondered just how he’d managed to get into them. She tried not to let her gaze linger between his spread thighs, but she couldn’t resist a peek. What she saw there threatened to destroy what little self-control she had, so she quickly averted her eyes.
    “What brings you down to the Grove?”
    “I came round to see Adam or Stuart, but they’re both working.” Jay blew on his coffee before taking another sip. “Then I remembered I haven’t seen you in a day or two, so I thought I’d drop by.”
    “Any time.” Katie put the last plate in the cupboard and flung the dishtowel on the counter.
    Jay’s gaze roamed around the room. “This is a huge kitchen for a flat in Ladbroke Grove. Is the rest of it as roomy?”
    “Pretty much.” She tilted her head to the side. “Wanna see it?”
    “Sure.” After a large gulp of coffee, Jay rose and followed her as she led him down the hall, pointing out the bathroom, her bedroom and her improvised closet, the room she was most proud of. Jay, however, seemed fascinated by her bedroom.
    “What a brilliant idea.” He looked at the pipes she’d