Read Online Need You Tonight by Marquita Valentine - Free Book Online Page B

her family. I can only imagine the conversation.
    What did you used to do, son?
    I got paid to attend high society functions and perform oral sex. Safely, of course. The agency I worked for had very strict rules about that.
    BAM!
    That’s the sound of the door slamming in my face by every father who heard that. Honestly, I can’t blame them. I wouldn’t want Kelly to date a man like me. Who would?
    I wait for a car to go by before upping my walk to a jog on the main road again. Unable to help myself, I try to picture how Brooklyn would react to the truth about me. What would she say, or would she say anything at all?
    Mentally, I give myself a shake. It doesn’t matter what I imagine, because I don’t plan to get involved with her, much less reveal my not-so-distant past to her.

Chapter Nine
    Brooklyn
    A T PRECISELY FIVE thirty, Parker knocks on my door.
    “Come in,” I call out to him. “I’m in the kitchen.”
    He walks inside, and my heart flutters at the sight of his chiseled good looks. His sexy lips curve into a smile, dimples that make my knees weak appearing. Before I met Parker, I never knew I had a thing for those.
    “Smells good.”
    With a pleased smile, I finish chopping up the salad and turn to him. “I hope you like roast.” Grabbing a beer from the fridge¸ I offer it to him and he takes it.
    “I like anything I don’t have to cook myself,” he says. “You got a bottle opener?”
    Nodding, I grab the one from the drawer beside the sink. “Here.”
    “Thanks.” He pops the top, throws it away, and takes a drink, his golden-green gaze never leaving my face. “I’m ready for your list.”
    “My what?” I can’t stop staring at him. Rowan is right, the man is fine. Ovary-exploding fine. I snort a little.
    “What’s so funny?”
    My eyes round. “Ah, nothing.”
    His grin widens. “That was not a nothing snort.”
    I wave a hand in the air. “Just some… gossip I heard about you.” His grin practically turns into a glower. “Nothing bad. It was very complimentary and flattering.”
    Obviously unconvinced, he crosses his arms over his chest, his muscles bulging slightly with the movement.
    Danger, Brooklyn Reeves, danger. Forearm porn in the vicinity. Look away. Look away.
    But I can’t. I’m a slave to my sudden lust for him and suggestion by Rowan to try hitting on Parker to see what happens. Something she had to tell me again right before I left work for the day.
    His eyebrows rise. “I’m all ears.”
    I swear my face turns red as I stammer, “That you’re ovary-exploding fine.”
    He purses his lips, one hand coming up to stroke his jaw. “But not panty-melting?”
    Biting my lip, I shake my head. “Sorry.” Those sexy lips of his twitch a little, and I let out a huff. “You were giving me a hard time, weren’t you?”
    “Maybe.” Smiling, he takes another drink of his beer. I can’t help but watch his mouth and then his throat as he swallows before he sets the bottle down on the table behind him. “Do I have enough time to work on the window before supper’s ready?”
    Right. The window. The doors. The list. “Oh, the list. You want my list.” I smack my forehead, and then walk to the living room. “It’s right here.”
    Braden’s picture stares back at me. I let out a shaky breath. What was I thinking? I can’t be with another man, not even one as sexy as Parker Morgan.
    I feel Parker’s presence behind me before he speaks. My skin prickles with awareness. Guilt slams through me. How can I react to another man with Braden’s picture in the room? Rowan is wrong. So is Soon Lin.
    “Is that your husband?” he asks softly.
    Unable to speak, I nod.
    “He looks like a good guy.”
    Finally I turn, grabbing the paper as I do. “He was a very good man.” I gaze into Parker’s face. “The finest. I know I’ll never meet another one like him.”
    Something flashes in Parker’s eyes, but it’s gone too quickly for me to figure out. “No, you probably