Read Online Peyton's Pleasure by Marla Monroe - Free Book Online Page A

a de the r ounds.

Siren-BookStrand, Inc.
     
     

     

    At n ear l y one o ’ c lo c k, G ra d y st r o d e into the d i n e r a nd took a n e mp t y s ea t in h e r s ec ti o n. S he g ra bb e d a c o ff e e c up a nd f ill e d it f or him. He smil e d a nd nodd e d a t h er .
    “ You ’ r e mi g h t y c hipp e r this mo r nin g . W ould it h a ve a n y thi n g to do with the moto r c y c le I s a w p ar k e d outside y our a p ar tm e nt building a ll mo r nin g ? ” He sipp e d the c o f f ee , not d r oppi n g his e y e s fr om h e r s.
    S he h e ld his g a z e a nd pr opp e d one h a nd on h e r h i p.
    “ Not th a t it is a n y of y o ur busin e ss, but y e s, th a t mi g ht h a ve h a d som e thing to do with it. Now, wh a t would y ou like to ea t ? ”
    “ P a n ca k e s.”
    “ Eg g s a nd to a st.” “ No, a n om e l e t . ”
    Voi ce s up a nd down the c ount e r a ll a dvis e d him wh a t to ea t. H e
    smil e d a nd w a v e d a t the m e n. He kn e w e a c h a nd e v e r y one o f th e m. “ Think I ’ ll h a ve the o m e l e t. W e st er n, pl ea s e . ”
    S he put in his o r d e r th e n m a de a r ound of h e r t a bl e s stopping to
    t a ke a noth e r n e w o r d e r on the w a y . B y the time she m a de it b ac k to the window, G r a d y ’ s o r d e r w a s up. S he c arr i e d it a nd a bottle of T a b a s c o s a u c e to his t a b l e.
    “ Hope y ou e nj o y , ” she s a id a nd tu r n e d to w a lk o ff .
    “ H e y , ar e y ou su r e y ou ’r e ok a y ? ” His h a nd s n a k e d out to l a t c h on to h e r ar m.
    His voi c e h a d t a k e n on th a t big b r oth e r sound a g a in. S om e thing h e’ d p r o b a b l y s t ar t e d us i ng to e a se the p a in of h e r re j e c tion, but now just fe ll ov e r him wh e n e v e r he fe lt like she n ee d e d som e on e ’ s should e r to c r y on. S he h a dn ’ t n e e d e d it in a long tim e . Did she n e e d it no w ? W h y would sh e ? S h e’ d h a d stup e ndous s e x s e v era l tim e s, a nd R y k e r h a d b ee n the p er f e c t g e ntl e m a n outside of the s e x . R ea l l y , who c ould a sk f or mo r e ?
    Th e n w h y did she fee l like c r y i n g ? S he still w a nt e d him a nd w a nt e d to s e e mo r e o f him. M a y be th a t w a s the p r obl e m—she w a nt ed to know a bout him, kn o w wh a t m a d e him ti c k. Th a t w a s a n o - no in h e r book. No p er son a l a tt ac hm e nts a llow e d. S h e’ d w r itt e n th a t r ul e ,
     

    sh e’ d h a v e to be the o n e to b rea k it. B ut h e ll, h a d n ’ t she a l r e a d y done th a t b y g ivi n g him h e r ce ll phone numb er ?
    N a w, f u c k buddi e s h a d to h a ve a w a y to g e t in tou c h with e a c h oth er . I t w a s c ool. T h e n w h y w a s she st a ndi n g th er e w o r r y i n g a bout it wh e n she should h a ve b e e n t a ki n g c ar e o f c usto m er s? B ec ause y ou ’ r e an idiot, P ey ton. H e’ s j ust a man. Som e one to s c rat c h that it c h y ou g e t. Thou g h she w a sn ’ t pi c k y on looks, she w a s pi c k y in s afe t y a nd p ref e rre d no o n e with b a gg a g e . S he lik e d h e r m e n st r i c t l y b a gg a g e - free . No one to c ome into h e r a p ar tm e nt think i ng th e y would st a y a whil e . No one to d ea l with a t the l e a st oppo r t u ne tim e s, su c h a s e x - wiv e s a nd g i r l fr i e nds, o r God f o r bid, a n e x - bookie or suppli er .
    S he didn ’ t s e nse a n y thing like th a t with R y k e r , but she sti l l b e li e v e d th a t som e thi n g too g ood to be t r u e p r ob a b l y w a s. I t h a d n e v e r l e t h e r down y e t. S he w a s w a iti n g f or t h e oth e r shoe to d r op. W a t c hing f or it a s s h e w a s, Pe y ton would be r ea d y f or it this tim e .

    * * * *

    R y k e r l e a n e d b a c k in his o ff i c e c h a i r , wiping a h a nd ov e r his fac e in fr ust ra tion. The busi n e ss d ea l on his d e sk w a s rea d y to g o. All it n ee