Read Online Johnson Family 1: Unforgettable by Delaney Diamond - Free Book Online

steps.
    He stared after her. What the hell did that mean?
    The ride to the hotel didn’t take long, but the entire time Ivy stayed on the phone in an obvious effort to ignore him. Well, he wasn’t going anywhere.
    When they entered the hotel lounge the hostess practically tripped over herself to accommodate them. Everything was Ms. Johnson-this and Ms. Johnson-that. He was pretty sure if they hadn’t had a free table for them to sit at, the young woman would have gone down on all fours and let Ivy perch on her back. Fortunately, that wasn’t necessary. She wiped down a table in a quiet corner and they sat in soft-cushioned chairs across from each other.
    Ivy crossed her long legs and set her gold Hermès bag on the low table between them. It seemed his senses were more heightened because her perfume enveloped him with a new scent, and it made his blood pressure spike.
    “Can I get you a drink?” she asked.
    “I don’t want a damn drink,” he replied, angry at her and at himself for the trajectory of his thoughts. Considering her deception, he was disgusted with himself for noticing anything about her.
    She raised an eyebrow, surprised by his outburst. “I hope you don’t mind if I have one, then,” she said, lifting her hand to get the waiter’s attention. She was way too calm. He wanted to unravel her.
    As she discussed the wine selection with the waiter, she leaned toward the young man. She uncrossed and re-crossed her legs as they talked, and Lucas wondered if she was doing it on purpose to drive him out of his mind.
    Could you try not to touch me, please.
    He tossed several Altoids into his mouth and chewed them with a vengeance. Those words made him want to touch her all the more. He’d start with those long legs of hers. He recalled how they felt cinched around his waist, and his groin tightened from the mere thought. Then he’d yank the pins out of that skein of hair so he could run his fingers through her long tresses.
    He’d then focus on her moist lips. She knew how to use them, that’s for sure. She could suck the skin off—
    Jeez. He ran a hand over his head and shifted in the chair. The woman still had him by the balls. He wanted to smash something. Maybe the vase on the table next to him. Or better yet, the table.
    “And you, sir, what can I get for you?” the waiter asked with a pleasant smile.
    “He’s not—”
    “Vodka. Straight.” He pulled out his wallet and handed the young man a credit card. He had a feeling he’d need more than one drink. “Start a tab.”
    The waiter walked away with the card in hand.
    “You didn’t have to do that. I can get my own drinks.”
    “I know you can, and get mine, too. But I’m a Southern man, and I won’t dine with a lady and have her pay for me. Nor will I allow her to pay for herself.”
    “You’re still touting those old-fashioned ideas, Lucas?” she asked, smoothing the lines of her skirt. His eyes followed the movement. Even her knees were cute. He imagined pulling them apart and kissing her skin—from her knees up the silken length of her thigh to…heaven.
    Lucas shifted again and searched for the waiter. Where the hell was he with that drink?
    “Your ideas are outdated in today’s society,” Ivy said.
    He returned his attention to her. “My mama taught me to be a gentleman, and being a gentleman never goes out of style. You know she’d hit me upside my head if I even thought about letting you cover the bill.”
    A ghost of a smile appeared on her face. She must have thought about the same thing. Mama Katherine had been half his size, but she never let him intimidate her. She never let anyone intimidate her, for that matter. A thin rail of a woman, she had a tongue sharper than a razor’s edge and would get up in his face to give him a piece of her mind if she thought he was getting out of line. She hadn’t been able to have kids of her own, but her house had been filled with children for decades. She didn’t just take in