Read Online Must Like Kids by Jackie Braun - Free Book Online Page B

dog, even though Colin and Danielle have been begging for one since last Christmas.”
    “Kids like dogs.”
    Her brows shot up. “Oh?”
    Alec shrugged. “That’s what I hear anyway.”
    “Did you have a dog when you were a growing up?”
    “No. They weren’t allowed.” If he let them, the bitter memories circling around him would swoop in and swallow him up whole.
    She nodded slowly. “Boarding school. Right.”
    He didn’t care for the sympathy he saw in her expression. “Actually, I wanted an iguana for a pet when I was about Colin’s age.”
    Her grimace made him smile. She said, “Do me a favor, and don’t mention that if you see him again.”
    “I’ll keep it to myself.”
    “You could have an iguana now.”
    Alec shrugged. “The appeal wore off a long time ago.”
    It sounded like she said, “Thank God.”
    “Besides,” he added, “pets can be a lot of trouble.”
    “Yes. Almost as much as kids,” she said wryly.
    Alec clapped his hands together and decided it was time to get down to business. “So, what does one wear to judge a baby beauty contest?”
    “Can I see your closet?”
    Her tone was brisk and businesslike, but the way her gaze slid away made him wonder if she found the prospect of entering his bedroom as intimate, not to mention arousing, as he did.
    He decided she did when Julia said in a strained voice, “You know what? Why don’t you just go change into something you think is appropriate and we’ll take it from there?”
    “Are you sure?” He was tempting them both.
    She licked her lips and he had to bite back a groan. “I’m sure.”
    Julia forced him to change his clothes not once but twice before she was satisfied that he’d struck the perfect balance between trustworthy corporate executive and approachable future father material.
    When he returned from the bedroom the second time, she was standing at the living room window, admiring the view of the lake. The afternoon sun teased highlights out of her butterscotch hair. For one insane moment he was tempted to brush it aside and drop a kiss on the back of her neck.
    He forced his gaze to the lake and remarked, “The water looks as smooth as glass.”
    She turned. “According to the forecast, the evening hours will bring a storm.”
    “And here I’d been thinking about spending an hour or two on the rooftop deck tonight.”
    “That sounds relaxing. Do you manage it often?” She sounded skeptical and no wonder.
    He shook his head. “Something usually comes up.”
    “I know the feeling. I don’t often manage much alone time.”
    Alec wasn’t thinking about being alone now. His gaze drifted briefly to her neck again, before he cleared his throat. “So, will this do?”
    He spread his hands wide. He should have felt foolish. No one had dictated his attire since he’d graduated from prep school. Not that he’d strayed very much from the conservative wardrobe he’d worn back then. Instead, he felt...aware, hyperaware of the attractive woman who now studied him with a critical eye. It was a new experience for him all the way around. Most of the women Alec knew were more interested in undressing him than seeing that he was properly clothed.
    “Better,” she murmured, one finger tapping her lips. “The khakis are the right touch. The jeans were too informal,” she said of the previous outfit. “Gabardine would be too much.”
    He tugged his gaze from her lush lower lip and asked, “What do you think of the shirt?”
    It was maroon chambray. She’d already vetoed a short-sleeved brown polo.
    She made a humming noise. “Unbutton the cuffs and turn up the sleeves.”
    He did as instructed and then raised his eyebrows in question. All the while that awareness sizzled.
    “Hmm.” Even as the sound vibrated in her throat, she was closing what remained of the gap between them. Now she stood close enough that Alec could smell the subtle scent of her perfume. It wasn’t flowery or sweet. It held the tang of