Read Online Instant Family by Elisabeth Rose - Free Book Online Page B

lovely smile. His teeth were even and white, and the
little lines creasing the sides of his mouth did odd things to her
knees. "Is something wrong? Did Seb turn up?"
    "He's fine." Honey-smooth voice, cheerful, friendly.
    "Is there something else?" she asked tentatively. Alex's gaze remained disconcertingly fixed on hers. Too intimate again. She looked
away, back to the CDs, and resumed placing them on the rack.
    "I want to buy a CD," he said. "What have you got there?"
    His hand reached across in front of her and took the next case
from between her clammy fingers. His wrist brushed her forearm,
and his fingers closed on hers briefly. Chloe's heart stopped. Thudded. Restarted.
    "Beethoven," she blurted. "A new recording of the piano sonatas by
a young German woman, Bettina Hauptmann. Nineteen. Brilliant, apparently. I haven't heard it, but the reviews have been excellent." She
stopped, breathing heavily. Swallowed.
    He stood close beside her, reading the cover notes. A crisp, clean
fragrance intermingled with another male aroma danced in her nostrils. His own individual smell. Chloe breathed more deeply. Her
mind stopped for a second, then cranked back into action. Sluggish
and scattered. She stuck another CD into the rack. Alex replaced the
Beethoven.
    "I'm after Vivaldi," he said. "Violin concertos."

    "Any one in particular?" He was still very close, peering over her
shoulder at the titles as she arranged them. Her whole body vibrated
like a guitar string while her brain fired into overdrive.
    "No. I just like that Baroque stuff while I'm working. It's very
soothing."
    "We have the complete violin works. He wrote hundreds of pieces."
    "I know. Very prolific." He still hadn't moved. Chloe had run out of
CDs. If she turned, she'd be face-to-face with him. She sidled along
the row toward VIOLIN CONCERTOS. He followed.
    "Violin concertos." She indicated the section with a jerky movement of her hand. "Do you have The Four Seasons?"
    "Yes. Thanks."
    "I'll leave you to it." She escaped to the counter.
    "What's up?" asked Tran.
    "Nothing"
    "Your face is all red," he said.
    "It's hot in here." Chloe grabbed a flyer for a jazz festival and
fanned herself ostentatiously. Trust Tran to blurt out the obvious. He
had all the tact of a carrot.
    "No, it's not."
    "Shut up," she muttered, and she punched his arm gently.
    "Someone special?" He grinned and raised his eyebrows in the
direction of Alex, who stood with his back to them on the far side of
the shop. Chloe pretended she didn't see his inquiring, teasing look.
    Alex couldn't have heard that exchange, not with John Coltrane
wailing on the sax through the sound system. Would he have noticed
her heated exterior? How embarrassing if he had.
    The phone rang, and she snatched it up before Tran could lay a
hand on it. Alex turned as the caller began asking about an obscure
early jazz release. He had two CDs in his hand.
    "I think my colleague can help you better," she said into the phone.
"Tran, take this. He's after Emmett Miller."
    Tran's expression switched from annoyance-when he assumed
she was fobbing off one of their regular, chronic bores-to extreme
interest. Alex reached the counter and laid the two CDs side by side.
    "Did you find what you wanted?" He's another customer, just another customer. Don't look into his eyes.

    "I can't decide. Which would you recommend?"
    Chloe assessed the two titles. "Zukerman playing Bach and Vivaldi," she said without hesitation. "He's wonderful."
    "Done."
    Chloe found the disc and inserted it into the cover while Alex
pulled cash from his wallet. She rang up the sale.
    "Thank you." He took the bag. His fingers slipped briefly over hers.
Burning. "Any chance of having lunch with me?"
    Chloe's mouth dropped open. "Lunch?" she echoed faintly.
    Alex nodded. "Won't you be free soon? I can wait."
    "I can't," blurted Chloe. "I'm sorry. I have an appointment."
    "No problem. See you later." And he was gone, swinging the small
bag