Read Online Pecan Pies and Homicides by Ellery Adams - Free Book Online

Can I call you in the morning?”
    Hugh tossed the phone onto the desk and turned around. “Hello, beautiful.” He smiled and traced the line of her jaw with his fingertip. “I missed you last night. I can’t remember what I used to do on Friday nights before you came along. How was the party?”
    â€œIt was okay. Loralyn and I managed not to pull each other’s hair out and Suzy enjoyed herself, which is all that matters.”
    â€œIt was nice of you to go so Suzy didn’t have to be there by herself,” Hugh said. “You’re a good friend.”
    Ella Mae wanted to confess that it was Suzy who deserved his praise, but she couldn’t tell him about the book, what happened to her mother, or the Flower of Life. Instead, she kept another secret from him. Added another lie to a growing list of lies. “I would have liked to have danced with you,” she said, gazing into his brilliant blue eyes. “Tonight, I’m all yours.”
    He kissed her lightly on the lips. “I like the sound of that.”
    Ella Mae pulled away before his kiss became more demanding. She’d been avoiding his embrace too much lately, but whenever their lips met for any length of time, she felt a burning sensation. It wasn’t just the heat of desire she felt, but an actual, physical pain. It always started slowly, like a spark igniting against her skin, but the more she and Hugh kissed, the more the fiery feeling intensified. At first, Ella Mae had assumed that the bizarre reaction had something to do with magic, but Hugh hadn’t come to the grove for the harvest festival, and that meant that he was human.
    Or something else
, Ella Mae silently thought.
If there are nymphs and assassins called Shadow Children in the world, who knows what other creatures live among us?
    â€œI brought you a pie.” Ella Mae took the box off the floor and put it on Hugh’s desk.
    He frowned. “That’s not fair. You won’t let me give you a discount for Chewy’s care and yet you’re constantly bringing me food.”
    â€œThis is dessert,” Ella Mae said, grabbing his hand. “You can make me dinner.”
    Hugh grinned. “Deal. Meet me here at seven and bring a swimsuit.”
    Ella Mae wasn’t sure she’d heard him correctly. “What?”
    He ran his thumb over the back of her hand. “Trust me, I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. A hundred times a day. I want to be with you, Ella Mae. In every way. Is that all right? Are you ready?”
    She knew exactly what he was saying. Her throat turned dry and her heart began hammering. “Yes,” she whispered and thought back to the only time they’d ever come close to making love. It had been late November and they’d been caught in a thunderstorm running from a restaurant to Hugh’s truck. Once inside, they started kissing. Ella Mae had peeled off Hugh’s soaked shirt and he’d unbuttoned her drenched blouse. For some reason, the water had acted as a buffer and there’d been no pain when they kissed.
    â€œAre you thinking of that rainy night?” Hugh asked now, pulling her from the memory. “Because I’ve thought of little else since then. I don’t know why we react to each other the way we do, but there has to be a way to deal with it. Let me show you what I have in mind.”
    â€œYes,” she said again. “Yes.”
    And then they heard the scrabble of Chewy’s paws on the tile floor, and together they moved into the hall.
    â€œHey, boy!” Ella Mae bent down to greet her terrier. Taking Chewy’s leash from Hugh’s assistant, she gave Hugh a smile filled with promise and then left.
    â€œWhat took so long?” Reba demanded after Ella Mae and Chewy got into the car.
    Sissy giggled like a schoolgirl. “Look at her face! What do you
think
took so long?” She sighed theatrically. “Oh, to be young