Read Online Tempting Mr. Wrong (Wrong Man) by Kerri Carpenter - Free Book Online

Next time, it’s all on you.”
    “Yay! Today is so fun.” With that, Mya dashed out of the room.
    Carly agreed wholeheartedly with Mya. Today was fun. In fact, it was becoming the best day ever. A new job interview lined up, a happy niece, and a super-hot man standing right in front of her. As usual, Carly didn’t think. She acted. Crossing the room, she engulfed Lance in a big hug.
    Clearly shocked at the gesture, he let out a whoosh of breath, but that just made her tighten her hold around his crazy-hard body. After a moment, she felt his arms fumbling behind her back, and then he finally sank into the gesture, wrapping his strong arms around her. He smelled so good, like fresh soap and something musky and masculine.
    “You smell good,” he whispered, echoing her thoughts.
    She stumbled back at the compliment and felt her eyes go wide.
    His gaze fixated on something over her left shoulder. “I mean, considering I spent the last few years with a bunch of sweaty, dirty soldiers, it doesn’t take much to impress me in the aroma department.”
    Oh. She didn’t know how to answer that, so she took a step toward the door. Pausing, she whispered, “Thank you. You know, for keeping Mya entertained today.”
    “You’re welcome,” he answered.
    But neither of them moved. Their eyes locked, and her breathing picked up. She could see his Adam’s apple moving up and down rapidly. The air felt as thick as the ruffly pink comforter on Mya’s bed.
    Breaking the moment, she offered an embarrassed chuckle and walked out of the room, but she stopped outside the door, leaning against the railing on the staircase. What had just happened in there?
    “Aunt Carly, I’m ready to make the ice cream!” Mya yelled from the bottom of the steps.
    She snapped out of her stupor and headed to the kitchen. It didn’t take long to assemble the ice cream sandwiches, and once she had Mya settled in the family room with a coloring book and crayons, she started making dinner. But Carly was shaken. There was no other way around it.
    Chewing on a fingernail, lost in her thoughts, she ignored the rice she was making—you didn’t need to stir risotto, right?—and cast her thoughts back to earlier in the day. Anna had insinuated that Carly could fall for Lance again. She cast her gaze toward the stairs. Unfortunately, her friend was right.
    Lance was definitely easy on the eyes. “Please,” she muttered under her breath. The guy was a walking wet dream. He was extraordinarily attractive, and honestly, Carly would be content to stare at him all day. But until the hug upstairs, her only attraction to Lance had been, well, his looks.
    Then she’d watched him with Mya. He’d been patient and funny. Despite his—what had she called it?—regimented attitude, he’d actually seemed fairly laid-back up there. Her heart melted when he talked to Mya about Chris, too.
    She took a sip of her red wine, which did nothing to calm her. It wasn’t only the game or the way he’d acted with Mya. It was that hug, and that made no sense. Carly hugged everyone. She was a lean, mean hugging machine. Only that small gesture had never sent sparks down her arms or turned her legs into jelly before.
    Her head was spinning just thinking about him. “Not good,” she whispered.
    She moved to the oven, peering inside at the chicken strips that had been baking for…well, she couldn’t really remember when she put them in. That didn’t matter, though, right? Chicken needed to be cooked thoroughly. She wished she could deal with Lance as easily as she was making this dinner. And Chris used to make fun of her cooking skills.
    Footsteps sounded on the staircase and Carly jumped. Lance was coming, and she didn’t want him to see her flushed or anything. She couldn’t let on that she’d been thinking inappropriate thoughts about him. The best thing for everyone would be for her to have zero contact with the hot soldier.
    No more sexy sensations and tingly