Read Online Inside Out by Lauren Dane - Free Book Online Page A

up, and I’ll help.”
    “Oh, yeah. I’m three B.”
    He whistled as he rode the ancient, creaking elevator and got off at her floor. He remembered the apartment number, of course, but it didn’t seem necessary to tell her that right then.
    Her door opened, and she peeked a head out, smiling when she saw him.
    “Hi there. Come on in.”
    He went inside, breathing her in as he passed her. She always smelled warm and sexy.
    “Have you eaten today? I have leftovers. We’re a little early and I thought you might be hungry and . . . and stuff.” She blushed.
    She wore snug yoga pants, those weird boots women wore with the sheepskin lining, and a form-fitting long-sleeved shirt. “Not that I’m complaining about how you look now, but shouldn’t you be dressed up?”
    “I’m so bad with getting messy; I’d stain the dress before I got three steps out the door. Elise knows this, and my dress is at Adrian’s. I’ll get dressed there. Apparently Raven has volunteered to do makeup and Elise’s hair.”
    He raised his brows, and she laughed. “I know, I know. But Elise is trying very hard to make room for Raven in this shindig, and it appears Raven is trying hard not to be a cow. Elise wants to make Brody happy. It’s nice that Raven seems to want that too.”
    “Raven isn’t all bad. I know she has her moments, but she loves Brody and Erin. I like her, and not in that way, so don’t frown.”
    “It’s none of my business either way. Raven’s a popular woman. She’s beautiful, and there’s something about her that people are drawn to.”
    He stepped close, putting his hands on her shoulders very gently. “Not in that way.” How could she even think for one second that he’d prefer Raven over her?
    She nodded, her gaze still locked with his. He wanted to follow up with the fact that there were no other women when it came to her, but he thought it was best to slowly seduce her to keep from spooking her.
    “Good.” Without thinking, he kissed her quickly and stepped back.
    Eyes wide, a pink blush on her cheeks, she held up a bag of bread, and he nodded. “Yes, thanks, I’d love a sandwich.”
    “Sit, please.” Her voice was hoarse, her movements less graceful than normal. Good. He got to her as much as she got to him.
    Sitting back, he took in the parts of her place he could see, which was most of it. The place wasn’t big, not even a full one bedroom. Her bed was just off to his right in an alcove of sorts with a desk and a window complete with window seat. Pillows and thick, fluffy blankets told him she liked comfort, though he imagined the place would get chilly too, given the age of the building.
    The table he sat at would fit two people at most, which was fine with him. It meant he would have her close. It also gave him the opportunity to watch her move, that quiet efficiency he so admired, back in place.
    She turned and caught him looking at her ass. She rolled her eyes. “Is ham all right? I have avocados too. They came in my produce box, and they’re very good.”
    “Awesome. Yes, please.”
    She grinned, and he couldn’t help but respond and grin back. “I like your place. The last time I saw it, you just had a lot of boxes. You’ve made it a home.”
    “Thank you. It feels that way. I can work and work and at the end of the day, it’s here with all my stuff.” She put a sandwich in front of him, perching on the chair next to his. They didn’t touch, but the energy between them was a delicious weight, humming against his skin.
    He ate rather than touch her. God, he wanted to touch her.
    “You look very handsome,” she said, looking at her hands. The way her head was bent, he caught the whole milky pale column of her neck, from nape down her back, the hollow just beneath her ear.
    Freckles lived all over her skin, which turned him on so much right at that moment. He wasn’t even sure he liked them before, or even thought about them one way or the other. But her freckles begged to be