Read Online Face-Off by Nancy Warren - Free Book Online

forward once more.
    â€œYou thought what?”
    â€œI thought I wasn’t important enough for you. Not high-profile enough I guess. Not a celebrity.”
    â€œYou have got to be kidding me.”
    She shook her head, kind of sadly. “I’d love the world to see us together. I want to meet your family. But then, with only two weeks, I figured we’d keep it quiet, then no one has to know.”
    â€œWhat do you mean two weeks?”
    â€œBefore you go back.”
    Had he really said that? He put an arm out and pulled her to him. “You know what’s great about being retired? You can do anything you want with your time. I don’t have to go anywhere.”
    She turned back to him and he thought her face was the most beautiful sight in the world.
    â€œWe’ve only started this thing. Who knows where it will lead? All I know is that you make me feel like the world’s full of possibilities again. I think I lost that after the accident.”
    He looked at her for a long moment before continuing. “You’re smart and sexy and beautiful and you care about people.”
    â€œI’m a teacher, not a fancy celebrity.”
    â€œExactly. You’re a great teacher. You’re teaching me to live again and to quit coasting along making dumb-ass commercials for something to do. Maybe I’ll coach, maybe I’ll build stuff.”
    â€œBuild stuff?”
    â€œSure. I used to love working with my hands. I built furniture and all kinds of things when I was younger. Then hockey took over my life. I don’t need more money. I need something to do. I guess I got so caught up in who I used to be that I forgot there’s a whole new life out there waiting for me.”
    â€œOf course there is.” She spoke with so much confidence in him, how could she understand what that meant? He didn’t want to scare her since they’d only begun, but he had a pretty strong feeling that Sierra was going to be a part of that future.
    He caught a dream image glimpse of the two of them in the future. He bet she wouldn’t let him build a crib becauseof some safety thing, but he was bound and determined to build a high chair. That he could do.
    And maybe a rocking horse.
    He’d have go dig up his dad’s old tools and start practicing.
    The contentment was like a warm blanket around his heart. “Anything you need to go home for?”
    She shook her head. “School’s closed tomorrow. I threw a few extra things in my sports bag, in case I got an invitation I couldn’t refuse.”
    â€œThat’s my girl.”
    Â 
    N EXT MORNING, HE WOKE up feeling better than he’d felt in a long time. With a jolt, he realized he was alone in bed. Surely she hadn’t gone squirrely on him and snuck off home?
    Then he heard the greatest sound in the world, next to those panting cries she made when she came. He heard the sound of a woman singing in the kitchen.
    In his experience, a woman singing in the kitchen this early meant she was making something like coffee. Or breakfast in bed.
    Sure enough, she waltzed in a few minutes later, wearing one of his T-shirts that dropped almost to her knees, looking sexy as hell and bearing a tray. Okay, so it was healthier stuff than he usually ate, and maybe the portions were a little skimpy, but he didn’t feel like complaining.
    After breakfast, they sat around drinking coffee and reading the paper, then after a nice round of midmorning sex followed by a shower, he said, “Let’s go meet my family.”
    â€œAre you sure? I didn’t mean right away.”
    â€œI don’t know what that ex of yours did to you, but since you’ve helped me get over my little problem of feelingsorry for myself, I figure it’s the least I can do to return the favor and demonstrate how much I want to show you off.”
    She nibbled her lip. “I don’t know what to wear. What if your family doesn’t