Read Online SimplyIrresistible by Evanne Lorraine - Free Book Online Page A

mean doormat and she was so done playing
the victim. Each day, each obstacle overcome, made her stronger and gave her
more courage to own her choices—her life.
    After her brother Rob had dropped her off at the apartment
she’d planned to take the truck to the body shop her insurance agent
recommended for an estimate. Instead she’d had to call the company again. This
time to report the truck’s smashed headlights and broken windows. Her agent
suggested having the truck towed to the dealer for a thorough check to be
certain there was no hidden vandalism. The damage made her angry, but nothing,
especially not some sick jerk with a bad case of truck envy, was going to make
her slip back into victim mode.
    Determined to avoid casting herself in the distressed damsel
role, Tiana didn’t give Liam a chance to ask about her rotten day. She asked,
“What do you do?”
    “Pamper a bunch of hayburners and ride herd on a couple of
brothers. Now and then I work—try to make a little money.”
    He made it sound as if he were an itinerant ranch hand. His
ripped build made a life of hard work plausible, but she didn’t buy it. Cowboys
didn’t wear custom-made shirts and they couldn’t afford the Crucible’s dues.
Since she was more interested in his horses, she didn’t bother following up on
his business ventures.
    “You keep horses?” She straightened her spine, fatigue and
her troubles dismissed.
    “Several. You looking for a spoiled filly or two?”
    “Not yet. The stable isn’t done.”
    “Just as well, I’d have to put up with a lot whining from
the brats if I sold them.” He turned onto a busy arterial, merging smoothly
with the evening traffic.
    “How old are your brothers?”
    Liam checked his mirrors. “Kyle is twenty-four and a career
college student. Ben enlisted in the Marines and hasn’t been kicked out, so
far. Cam is getting set to follow in Kyle’s footsteps. He leaves for Berkeley
tomorrow.”
    “Are your parents upset about having an empty nest?”
    The skin at his temples tightened. “They’re dead.”
    “I’m so sorry.” She blinked away tears for his loss. Something we have in common.
    He clicked on the left turn signal, checked his blind spot
and pulled into the vacant middle lane. “Old news.”
    “Some wounds remain tender for a long time. My mother died
when I was a kid and my dad passed three years ago.”
    “I’m sorry for your loss. Time helps, but you’re right, the
pain never completely leaves. My folks died in a private plane crash almost
fifteen years ago. I still miss them.”
    “You must have been very young.”
    “Close to eighteen.”
    “Who took care of you and your brothers?”
    “I did—with a lot of help.” He leaned back, casually
increasing the distance between them.
    “Even with help, it must have been hard. Seventeen is very
young to become an instant father.”
    “Practically eighteen,” he corrected her with a flash of a
cocky grin. “It wasn’t all that bad, besides, the brats are my brothers. What
else could I do?”
    Since he didn’t seem to expect an answer she kept quiet. No
matter what he said the loss of both parents would have been utterly
devastating. Her heart ached for the boy who had taken on a man’s job.
    “Truth is I was a basket case for a couple of years. I
promised myself I would never depend on another person again.” His jaw hardened
as he watched the road. “I’ve never told anyone how lost and scared I felt.”
    His admission caught her by surprise. She squeezed his thigh
and he covered her hand with one of his. Oddly there was nothing sexual in her
touch or his response, yet he’d burrowed right into her heart.
    The intimate moment ended when Liam pulled into a parking
space in front of a one-story, white stucco building. Bold black lettering over
the door proclaimed, Bakauma Sushi . Below the heavy print was a
translation—very tasty sushi.
    Instead of heading for Bellevue as she’d expected, Liam had
surprised her