Read Online His Favorite Mistake (Baby Its Cold Out) by Mary Eason - Free Book Online

be home this early,” she said nervously. “I was going to make something to eat. Would you like to join me? I could make us dinner.”
                  He watched her hold her breath. It was hard not to smile and try to ease away her doubts.
                  Brody didn’t want to have dinner with her. Mostly because he wasn’t sure, he could simply share the intimacy of a meal together with her and not want more. Much more. How soon would it be before she guessed the truth? Figured out that this whole suggestion of having her live with him was just a ploy to be close to her for a little while.
                  He realized she was reading his hesitation as rejection. Reyna turned away. She opened the fridge again and pretended to study its contents again.
                  Brody let go of his own breath in a sharp sigh. If he didn’t get control soon, this would never work out. Whatever it was he was trying to get worked out. He forced his less than ‘friendly’ manner aside and steadied his voice.
                  “I’d like that very much. Can you give me ten minutes? I want to shower and change and then I’m all yours. I’ll be back in a second to help you.”
                  She was busy chopping vegetables for a salad when he returned, wearing jeans, and a black pullover sweater. He stepped close to her taking the knife from her unresisting hand. She moved away as if she couldn’t stand to be too close to him.
                  “Something smells good.” Brody watched her curiously, trying not to let her see how much her retreat hurt. Reyna opened the oven and looked inside. Her hand went uneasily up to tuck a wayward curl behind her ear. He was quickly becoming familiar with that little move. He knew what that gesture meant. She was all nerves around him.
                  “It’s salmon and it’s ready. I thought we could eat outside on the deck, if that’s okay with you. It’s such a nice evening for October.” He smiled at her edginess and took the dish from her, following her outside.
                  She was right, not that he ever really noticed the world outside of work anymore.
                  Tonight, the evening was cool, with a slight touch of the winter to come on the breeze that carried the sounds of the city up to where they sat drinking red wine.
                  They talked about small things throughout the meal. He noticed she was actually relaxing a little.
                  Brody listened while Reyna told him about her day and the job interviews she had scheduled for the following day. “Reyna, you know if none of those positions work out, I can help you. All you have to do is ask.”
                  “No, Brody—at least not right away. I want to try to find something on my own. I don’t want to depend on you for everything. You’ve done too much as it is. Do you understand what I mean? It’s important for me that I learn to stand on my own two feet.”
                  His eyes searched her face wondering if she realized just how small and breakable she appeared to him. Even now, when she was fighting to control her own future, her eyes were begging him to understand. He did. He knew just how important it was to stand alone in a city that could easily destroy a person if they gave an inch.
                  “I do understand. I know how important self-reliance and integrity can be. Sometimes it’s all you have. But my offer to help will always be there, no matter what happens and without any attachments.” He hesitated for a moment. He had to be so careful not to break the small amount of trust he’d achieved with her. He wanted to ask her about the bruises fading on her body. He needed to know who was responsible for hurting her in such an inhumanly male way, but he dared not knowing she wouldn’t answer