Read Online Mending Fences by Lucy Francis - Free Book Online Page A

gentleness that made Victoria’s heart ache. She recognized the slight resignation in the way he spoke to his sister. He’d leave when he finished the call.
    “Yeah, about twenty minutes, right? Bye.” He switched off the phone, dropped it into his coat pocket. He gave Victoria a half-hearted smile, then sighed. “Kelli and Rob were in an accident.”
    “I figured. Are they okay?”
    “A few scrapes, she said. Kelli’s religious about seat belts, thank God. Someone going too fast slid through a red light near the outlet mall and nailed their back end. Spun them into a light pole. They’re fine, but the SUV’s a mess. I have to go.”
    “Of course.” She pushed off the couch as he picked up his coat and followed him out to the entry. “Tell them hello for me.”
    “I will.” He pulled his coat on, then ran his thumb along her cheek. “Thanks for having dinner with me.”
    “It was my pleasure.”
    “Do you have plans tomorrow?”
    A thrill wriggled through her middle. “Exercising the horses. Writing. Running to the grocery store at some point.”
    “What are you willing to eat on a pizza?”
    “Anything. Everything. If it’s pizza, it’s all good.”
    Curran laughed, she felt the rumble under her skin. “Same time tomorrow, then?”
    “Please.”
    He slipped his fingers behind her neck, tilted his head down and kissed her softly. She forced herself to allow him to break the kiss. He pressed his lips to her cheek, then turned and opened the door. “Sleep well, Victoria.”
    “Goodnight.”
    She stood in the doorway, the cold night air chilling her through her sweatshirt until the headlights of his truck backed away from the house and followed the curved drive, then turned away down the lane. She closed the door, threw the lock, then wandered back into the great room. Dropping onto the couch, she stared at the vaulted ceiling.
    Wow . She lay still, mentally replaying the zinging feeling, the fire Curran’s kisses sent roaring through her core. She’d never heated up like that, let alone so fast.
    Nate said it was because she was a naturally cold woman. She hoped it was just more emotional cruelty on his part to say such a thing, but she’d dated enough men before him to think he might be right.
    Maybe she should revise that conclusion. Her thoughts returned to Curran, to the darkness in his eyes when he looked at her, the secure warmth of his arms around her. She’d never craved a physical connection before, but Curran made her feel. She felt alive when he touched her.
    She packed up the idea of writing about him in a mental garbage bag and chucked it. The only thing to focus on now was making sure her hormones didn’t get the best of her. She couldn’t, she wouldn’t let her physical attraction to him go too far. The only safe sex was no sex. She’d paid for relying on protection. The price was far too high ever to pay again.
    * * * *
    Curran tore the top sheet off his desktop calendar, revealing the February page. He leaned back in his leather office chair and rubbed his eyes. The last time he’d dated a woman nearly every day for a month without having sex with her was never.
    How the hell was he supposed to get anything done when he stared at the computer screen and only saw her? Thinking about her made his blood simmer, and she crept into his thoughts more frequently with each passing day.
    He set his jaw and focused on the rows of numbers on the screen. This was the third analysis he’d done for DCS GlobalTech since he retired, and Jamie wanted it by tomorrow…
    The ridiculousness of the whole thing suddenly struck him. He paged through the file on his screen, then pushed the laptop away. He picked up the cell, hitting the contact for his best friend.
    Jamie Mickelson’s clear tenor answered on the third ring. “Curran, how’s it going, buddy?”
    “She’s right, mate. Couldn’t be better.”
    A chuckle sounded in his ear. “Bullshit. You need a massage, I can hear the tension