Read Online Open Invitation? by Karen Kendall - Free Book Online Page B

slammed her in the kneecap.
    Reeling from the pain, Lil clenched her teeth over the epithets that tried to get past them and vaguely registered Dan Granger’s face, hidden behind a greasy paper fast-food wrapper.
    â€œHaaaaaaaa,” he said, around whatever was in his mouth. “Oh, dang, did I get your knee? And here I was trying to be polite, Lilia.”
    â€œThank you,” she managed. She hobbled into the reception area and was immediately assaulted with a disgusting smell. She braced herself on the reception desk, choking back bile. Ugh! Greasy Mexican food, and egg, and some awful combination of fried sweet peppers and onion.
    Heaven help her, she was going to be—
    Lil dropped her purse and water bottles and ran for the facilities.

6
    D AN STOPPED MUNCHING and stared. “Was it something I said?” He bent to pick up the water bottles and the handbag and placed them on the reception desk.
    Lilia’s tall, blond partner emerged from the kitchen and sniffed the air before shooting him a cat-eyed smile. “So that’s why it smells like taco hell in here.”
    She was gorgeous, loudly dressed in a screaming yellow leather jacket, and she appeared very amused.
    Dan blinked twice at the jacket and fished his Oakley’s out of the neck of his T-shirt. He settled them onto his nose and sighed with relief. “That’s better.”
    She laughed.
    â€œWhat’s wrong with Miz Lilia?” he asked the Amazon.
    â€œShe’s feeling a little under the weather. I took her out to a bar last night and she’s not used to much alcohol.”
    â€œOhhhhh.” Light dawned on Dan. “You have the gal doing tequila shooters or something? She looks like one would put her under the table. Anyway, I have just the thing for her—a breakfast taco. It’ll fix ’er right up. Eggs, cheese, fried potato, onion and hot sauce. Shocks the belly into submission and soaks up the booze.”
    â€œYou don’t say.” The Amazon wrinkled her nose.
    She was too perfect-looking for Dan. Professional beauty, he called it. Over the top. And he also didn’t care for the way she swung her hips. This one was no Audrey. She carried herself as though she’d been around the block a few times. But she wasn’t flirting with him, he’d give her that.
    He preferred the challenge of Lil’s…purity. She had that china doll quality that just stabbed him right in the groin. Made him feel like a dirty, bad boy for thinking about what she had on under that knee-length skirt. The forbidden turned him on. Feeling dirty turned him on. Exotic turned him on. Those dark eyes…
    â€œI’m not sure that Lilia likes that kind of—” The blonde broke off as Lil returned to the room. “You okay, sweetie? I don’t believe I’ve ever seen that particular shade of green on a human face.”
    â€œShannon,” his etiquette consultant said evenly, “you are evil. You should be listed as the eighth deadly sin—and what is that foul stuff you’re drinking?”
    Dan had wondered the same thing. It was reddish brown and mucky and unappetizing.
    The Amazon swirled the nasty liquid in her glass. “Carrot juice.”
    Lilia choked and, to Dan’s amazement, turned bright red. What was up with that? Who blushed at the mention of vegetable juice? Why?
    â€œMr. Granger,” she said crisply. “Why don’t we go to my office? Would you like a cup of coffee?”
    â€œOnly if I can have it in a cardboard cup, ma’am.”
    Her lips twitched as she turned to walk down the hallway, giving him another chance to admire that miracle of a derriere.
    She swept into her office and up to her desk, saying, “A big strapping man like yourself can’t be afraid of a little china.” She stopped as she saw a tall plastic bottle of organic carrot juice on her blotter.
    â€œExcuse me for a moment, won’t you? I’ll