Read Online Dad's E-Mail Order Bride by Candy Halliday - Alaska Bound 01 - Dad's E-Mail Order Bride - Free Book Online Page A

against her ear, “Maybe Frank really is in on Rachel’s conspiracy.”
    “Or maybe Frank’s observing we can’t dance much closer?” Courtney teased.
    “Great comeback.”
    But he didn’t loosen his grip.
    That was just fine with Courtney. She hadn’t been expecting this opportunity to be in Graham’s arms. And even if it was only an innocent dance, at this point Courtney was willing to take whatever she could get.
    When Graham curled her hand into his chest, Courtney rested her head on his shoulder. By the time the music track changed again, the song “Fly Me to the Moon” seemed exactly where Courtney was headed.
    “I started reading your e-mails,” he said.
    Courtney pushed back to look at him. “I’m glad. I wanted you to see for yourself my only agenda in coming to your party was to meet you and Rachel in person.”
    He turned her into a spin. When they faced each other again, he said, “You mentioned you hoped we could become good friends. If you haven’t changed your mind, I’d like that, too.”
    Courtney smiled. “No, I haven’t changed my mind.”
    Graham pulled her to him again and continued to glide her around the room as if they were dancing in the grand ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria instead of a wooden-plank floor. When the song ended, Graham even leaned Courtney backward for a final dramatic dip. And he pulled her back up just as Sinatra sang about having a crush.
    “Thanks for the dance.”
    “Likewise,” Courtney told him.
    He leaned forward and Courtney held her breath. His mouth kept inching closer and closer. Courtney was so sure he was going to kiss her, she closed her eyes.
    “You know we have an audience, right?” he whispered.
    Courtney’s eyes popped open. “Of course we do.”
    They stepped away from each other.
    “I really appreciate you helping Rachel with dinner.”
    “It was my pleasure,” Courtney said.
    He looked down at his watch, then at her. “You have to be exhausted,” he said. “You’re still on New York time. So why don’t you call it a night?”
    “I’ll help Rachel clean up first.”
    “Thanks, but I’ll pull cleanup duty. Just as soon as I get out of this blasted tux.” He grinned as he unfastened his bow tie.
    It was obvious Graham needed his space—without her in it. And Courtney understood that completely. She’d flown in from out of nowhere and landed right in the middle of his life. And though he couldn’t have been any nicer under the circumstances, Graham had politely let her know this day was over.
    “You’ll say good-night to Rachel for me?”
    “Of course,” he said.
    “Then I’ll see you both in the morning.”
    But as she headed up the stairs, she took the words good friends along with her. Graham had politely let her know not to expect anything more than friendship from him.
    Too bad. Because she could still smell him on her skin.
    Still feel his arm around her waist.
    And yes, damn him, she was still aroused from the feel of his rock-hard body pressed against hers.
    For Courtney, that was a first. Usually, men bored her. Usually, all she had to do was look in their direction to have men falling all over her. Was that also part of her overwhelming attraction to Graham—his failure to immediately fawn over her?
    Sighing, Courtney closed her bedroom door, unzipped her dress and walked toward the bathroom. She really was exhausted. With any luck once she hit the bed, she’d fall into a sleep so deep she wouldn’t have bad dreams about those blank pages of her life that Graham was never going to fill.
    She had a friend’s birthday party to attend tomorrow.
    A friend, nothing more.

    T HE FIRST THING Graham did when Courtney went upstairs was walk over and shut Frank’s big, fat mouth. He didn’t need anyone pointing out how quickly he was falling under Courtney’s spell. She’d felt so incredible in his arms, the only thing that had kept him from picking her up and carrying her off to his bedroom was knowing Rachel