Read Online Serendipity by Carly Phillips - Free Book Online

and the alcohol, her long legs wobbled in her ridiculous but sexy heels. Then there was the short skirt and ruffled tank hanging off one shoulder. With each delicate step up, he caught a glimpse of skin on her thigh. If the back stairs weren’t dark, he could probably see more. As it was, he was left to wonder if she wore lace panties or a thong. Just the thought had him breaking into a sweat.
    They reached the top step at last.
    â€œWhew. Made it,” Faith said, even her voice turning him on.
    He came up beside her and waited patiently while she opened her purse and began looking for her keys. “Can I help you?”
    â€œNope. I’ve got it.”
    But she didn’t. “Hold this?” She handed him a compact mirror. “And this.” A tube of lip gloss. “This.” A small wallet came next.
    He juggled each in his hands.
    â€œHow much can you fit into such a tiny bag?” he asked. The workings of the female mind had always confounded him.
    â€œYou’d be surprised,” she murmured. “Gotcha!” She pulled out a set of keys, holding them up in triumph.
    He wanted to grab them before she dropped them over the railing, but his hands were full.
    â€œHere. Just dump all that in here.” She opened her purse and he poured her things inside.
    She turned to put the key in the lock, fumbling and obviously having trouble.
    â€œHere.” He intended to take the keys from her and do it himself, but she didn’t let go. Instead, he found himself grasping her delicate hand and attempting to maneuver the key into the lock. In the dark. While leaning close and inhaling a fragrant scent that smelled suspiciously like strawberries. The kind he’d like to hand-feed her while her tongue slowly licked the juice off of each of his ten fingers.
    The key missed its target again.
    Faith laughed softly and Ethan swore.
    Her skin was soft and smooth and he couldn’t concentrate. “Give me the damn thing,” he said gruffly.
    She let go and the keys fell to the floor. “Oops!”
    He bent down and picked up the elusive metal object. “Step aside.”
    She did as he asked.
    Free from her overpowering nearness, he shoved the key into the lock and let them into a dark room. He felt for the light switch on the wall, fumbling in the unfamiliar setting until he literally felt Faith brush past him, her body touching his, then she was gone.
    Finally, blessedly, she flicked on a small lamp in what looked like the den. She then flopped into an oversized chair and sprawled there.
    â€œSee? That wasn’t so hard,” she said with an endearing grin.
    â€œSpeak for yourself, princess.” He was hard as a rock and looking at her, head back against the cushion, arms and legs spread wide, he was getting stiffer by the second.
    He really ought to leave before he ended up doing something she would definitely regret come morning. If she were sober and capable of making a coherent decision, that would be another story.
    Because he wanted her badly. “I should go home.”
    She lifted her eyebrows. “Really? Because I thought you’d want to talk about your earlier proposition .”
    She said the words with such cute innuendo, he was unable to suppress a grin. “The one you turned down?” he reminded her.
    â€œI did, didn’t I?” She sounded almost deflated.
    He nodded. “You did.”
    She glanced up at the ceiling. “April Mancini offered me the store next to hers to open my interior design business, but there’s no way I could afford the rent without clients.”
    Her words opened up possibilities and his pulse kicked into overdrive. “So you need me?”
    She bolted upright in the chair and immediately grabbed her head in her hands. “Oh boy.” She waited a few seconds and lifted her head more slowly this time. “That’s better. What was I saying? Oh yeah. I need your business ,” she