Read Online Shifting Gears by Audra North - Free Book Online Page A

his body moving with so much controlled grace that she’d been unable to move for a moment as she just stood and watched him. That strong jaw, his harsh breaths—he’d been wearing headphones, which was probably why he hadn’t heard her call out from the vestibule—and the absolute concentration on his face was breathtaking.
    She’d gotten lost in her fantasies, wondering what it would feel like to have a man like that on top of her, moving inside of her with the same driving focus that he was showing on the treadmill. He was sweating hard, his body slick with it, and it made her breasts tingle and her clit pulse. It had been impossible not to stare.
    By the time she realized how obvious she was being, he was hauling her against him and making her want … oh, so much. She’d wanted him to lift her skirt, to rip her pantyhose apart and thrust deep and hard inside of her and—
    â€œYou didn’t want any coffee?”
    Annabelle jumped and whipped around. Grady stood just inside the door, dressed in a Hart Racing polo shirt and a pair of chinos, his hair still damp from the shower. She could smell the soap and shampoo from where she stood, having wandered to the far wall of windows without even realizing it.
    Her cheeks felt hot.
    Could he tell that she’d been daydreaming about him? Could he tell that she’d just had the dirtiest sex fantasy of her life while standing in his office … and it had starred him and her and the wood-paneled wall in the hallway?
    â€œYou okay?” He frowned a bit. “Listen, about just now, I was thinking about it in the shower—” He cut himself off abruptly and closed his eyes for a second on a sigh, then opened them again. “What I mean to say is that I really am sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. I—”
    â€œI’d love some coffee,” she blurted, cutting him off. She didn’t want any more apologies. Not for that kiss.
    He blinked at her, and she could see the flash of paralysis that hit him, no doubt thrown by her abrupt declaration.
    But he recovered quickly enough and simply nodded an acceptance, then asked, “Sure. Cream? Sugar?”
    She shook her head. “Just black.”
    He whistled. “That’s hard core, Annabelle.”
    I’ll show you hard core if you just come a little closer.
    The thought surprised a giggle out of her. Not just because she knew she didn’t really have the guts to say something like that out loud—hardly hard core—but because if he actually did it, the truth was that she’d probably be too overwhelmed to do anything more than just lie there. During that kiss, all the sensations warring in her had come to a head, making her gasp and push him away just to get a handle on her arousal, and the way he’d looked at her …
    Like she’d been a mistake.
    So she’d pretended nothing had happened, and he’d been all too eager to play along.
    It probably meant that she was terrible at kissing.
    Maybe you just need a little more practice. I bet Grady would help you with that.
    She snorted in amusement at her own thoughts.
    Grady gave her a bemused look. “One black coffee, coming up.” He walked back out, and she found herself checking out his butt as he left.
    Annabelle clenched her fists at her side, hating that she couldn’t reach out and touch him like she wanted to. She’d love to touch Grady, to sleep with him. Heaven knew she was due for some sex, already. Four years was a long time for a woman to go without—she and Donnie had started sleeping separately after he’d fallen into bed reeking of alcohol one too many nights in a row—and while she could always use her hand on herself to release a little tension, it wasn’t the same.
    But if Grady ended up hiring her, getting involved with him was a bad idea. Even if he hadn’t thought she was a terrible kisser, she couldn’t