Read Online Double Dare by Karin Tabke - Free Book Online Page B

threatening you somehow?”
    “No!” she admitted too quickly.
    “Is that what you were alluding to earlier?” He pulled out his cell phone and scrolled through their texts. Katy squeezed her eyes shut, mortified.
    “When I asked if someone had upset you, your answer was, ‘and then some’,” Simon said looking pointedly at her. “Answer me, is douche bag threatening you?” His eyes widened as it dawned on him. “Is he using what happened in San Diego against you?”
    “Please, delete that thread of texts.”
    He did it immediately and held up the phone for her to see.
    “Thank you,” she exhaled, and relaxed as much as she could into the comfortable pillows.
    Setting his phone down on the coffee table, Simon’s face drew tight and serious. “Tell me what’s going on.”
    The urge to tell Simon everything was overwhelming. He was a man of action and intuitively she knew that if he was involved, heads would start to roll. If he wanted to be involved. Saying it was one thing, actually meaning it was another thing entirely. But what held her back was her fear that if he knew of the lies being told about her, the seeds of doubt would be planted and it could conceivably change the way he perceived her. Right now he saw her as a smart, sexy, uptight scientist. Not a thieving, slutty one. “Nothing you can fix.”
    “You cut me to the quick.”
    She laughed. He was so old-school sometimes. It was one of the things she liked most about him. “How so?”
    “I thought you trusted me.”
    “Trust you? I don’t even know you.”
    “Then get to know me.” He grinned. “I promise you, the more you get to know me, the more you’ll get to know yourself. When you know us both, that’s when the real fun will begin.”
    “Look, I don’t want to get to know you only to discover that I like you, and then—for whatever reason—wake up one day and there be no more you.”
    His grin widened. “Oh I think you already like me.
A lot
.”
    “You’re an egomaniac!”
    He slid another slice of pizza onto her plate and handed it to her, then did the same for himself. “I come by it honestly. Now eat, my little scientist, I like my women with a little more meat on their bones.”

 
     
     
     
    m your woman or one of your women?” There, she’d let him see it. Her possessiveness. Her jealousy. Now what was he going to do with it?
    Simon’s green eyes sparkled in a mischievous way. A week ago, it had been enough to get her in bed with him. But now, she wanted more. More than sex.
    “I guess that depends on you,” he said.
    Nervously, Katy folded and unfolded her napkin. Her throat was suddenly dry. Grasping her glass, she chugged down half the contents in a very unladylike manner.
    “What say do I have in your life? Especially when I know nothing about you except that you’re a cop named Simon who has a fetish for sexting and stalking molecular geneticists.”
    “I love it when you talk dirty to me like that.”
    Katy giggled, the sound so foreign to her ears that she stiffened. Dr. Winslow did not giggle, nor had her predecessors, Katrina Winslow college student or high-school geek or loner little girl.
    “You should do that more often, Kat, you’re always so serious.”
    “Hello,” she said, pointing to her glasses, “molecular geneticist.”
    He smiled. “You’re the hottest molecular geneticist I’ve ever met.” He reached over and nudged her glasses down to the tip of her nose. “With or without the glasses.” His smile widened. “Now if you’re an honest molecular geneticist, you’ll admit that you know a little more about me than my name and occupation.”
    Heat spattered her cheeks.
    “Don’t you?”
    “Maybe.”
    “No maybes about it, Dr. Winslow. Just to make sure, why don’t you tell me what you know about me?”
    “I have more questions than answers.”
    “Answers first, other than what you’ve already said, what do you know about me?”
    “You like pizza and warm Guinness.”