Read Online Delicious by Jami Alden - Free Book Online Page B

referred her to another security specialist in one breath and asked her out to dinner in the next.
    And then what? With the sad state of his bank account, he’d be able to take her to Taco Bell.
    Suck it up, Bankovic. Most times life doesn’t go the way you want. Instead of mooning over her and whining over what he couldn’t have, he should be grateful she hired him, happy he was able to cover his bills and help Marjorie out with her rent for another month.
    But this was a bad situation. Reggie fucked with his equilibrium, no doubt about it. It took extreme effort on his part to keep his emotions from boiling over on a daily basis, and every second with Reggie threatened his hard-won control.
    She captivated him. It sounded completely hokey and ridiculous in his own head, but there was no other word for it. Watching her on the set the other day and watching her tonight, smiling and laughing, it was easy to see that she was delighted with what she was doing. And he wasn’t the only one, the rest of the crowd smiled along with her.
    That, combined with the intensely erotic dreams he’d suffered through for the past four nights, made Reggie Caldwell a very dangerous woman indeed.
    So caught up in remembering the hot, sweet feel of Reggie writhing under him in that bed in Hawaii, Gabe didn’t notice Tyler standing beside him until the other man spoke. “She’s really good, isn’t she?”
    Gabe prayed that his face showed none of his lustful yearning as he glanced at the other man, then back at Reggie, who was talking to a woman in her twenties as though they were old friends.
    “Fans absolutely love her, men and women, which is unusual for a woman as attractive as Reggie.”
    Gabe turned back to Tyler, confused. “What do you mean?”
    Tyler shrugged. “Who understands why it happens, but as a rule, women viewers don’t like the thin, attractive female hosts. It’s like they’re resentful, or don’t believe they eat their own food.”
    “That’s why it’s good she’s a little big,” Natalie said. “She looks like she probably eats enough.”
    Gabe glared down at Natalie. Before he could stop himself, he said, “Reggie’s not big. She has an awesome body.”
    Natalie’s eyebrows shot up, and her eyes got a speculative look. “So you’ve been studying it?”
    Heat flooded Gabe’s face and he was grateful for his olive complexion. “I haven’t been studying—”
    Natalie interrupted, “Oh, that’s right. You have, shall we say, intimate knowledge of Reggie’s body.”
    “What do you mean by that?” Tyler’s indignant interruption was all that saved Natalie from being strangled.
    “Didn’t Reggie tell you?” Natalie blinked up at Tyler innocently, but her mouth held a sarcastic twist. “She and Gabe met when she went to Hawaii…” She let her voice trail off suggestively.
    Tyler’s Ken-doll face was a grim mask as he stared at Gabe with angry blue eyes. “You and Reggie were involved?”
    Before Gabe could answer, Natalie laid a hand on Tyler’s arm in mock sympathy. “Poor Tyler. You’ve been trying for so long to get into Reggie’s pants—”
    “I have not—”
    “It’s okay to admit you’re jealous,” Natalie taunted.
    Gabe struggled to keep his professional objectivity as he took another look at Tyler, doing his utmost to suppress a sudden upswell of territorial impulses. He’d taken his cue from Reggie and Natalie, and even his own instincts didn’t lead him to believe that Tyler was responsible for the harassment. But maybe the culprit had been right here close by all along.
    “Jesus Christ, Natalie,” Tyler said, obviously struggling to keep his tone low. “Yes, I’ll admit I find your sister attractive, but rather than risk our professional relationship, I decided not to pursue it. Thank you for embarrassing us all.” He offered a sheepish smile. “Besides, Reggie wasn’t interested or I might have been more inclined to do something about it.”
    Gabe studied