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

feelings.
    A different sensation caught her off guard; this time it was pain that surged through her finger. “Ow, dammit.” Carly looked down to see that she’d tried to remove the pan of chicken strips out of the oven without one of those oven glove things. She dropped the pan on the counter just as Lance drew her to the sink and shoved her hand under cold water.
    “You okay?” he asked as he turned back to the pan in question and placed it on top of the stove.
    “I hope it didn’t leave a mark on the counter.”
    “The counters are granite. They can take the heat. Besides, I’m not worried about the counter,” he said, his dreamy voice soothing her much more than the water washing over the blister that was already showing.
    “You’re not?” she asked.
    He shook his head as he returned to the sink. He got close to her. Real close. Close as in that clean, musky scent wafted over her heated skin.
    Gently, Lance held her hand up to inspect it. She didn’t want to admit it, but as soon as he touched her, she got that same heady feeling. Carly glanced up and met his eyes. Her breath caught. If he weren’t holding onto her, she’d slide down to the floor.
    “You said another bad word , ” Mya called from the family room.
    Lance’s lips curled up into a smile, but he didn’t release her hand. “Kid’s perceptive.” His breath fanned over her face.
    “Yeah, well, someone has to pay for her college tuition. I should have enough swear money in a couple more months.” Carly told herself she only sounded breathy because she’d been slaving over a hot stove.
    “How are you feeling?”
    Like I could kiss you. Carly blinked. “Oh, my hand?” She looked down at the red blister. “I’ll live. I’ve done worse.”
    Lance shocked her when he brought her hand to his lips and placed a soft, light kiss next to the injury. Her stomach did a flip worthy of the entire Olympic gymnastics team.
    “What are you doing?” Mya asked. She’d moved right next to Carly’s leg.
    Carly jumped, yanking her hand from Lance, smacking it against the counter, and then wincing at the fresh pain. Still, she tried to keep it together. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”
    She gave Lance a sideways glance, and to her amazement, he was actually grinning.
    “Your aunt hurt her hand. I’m helping fix her up.”
    “Can I help, too?” Mya wondered.
    “Sure,” Lance said, once again moving Carly’s hand under the running water. “Do you think you can get a Band-Aid for me?”
    “Yes.” With that, Mya was off.
    Clearly her keep-her-distance-from-Lance strategy wasn’t working. At this rate, she was bound to do a hell of a lot more than kiss him.

Chapter Five
    If there was one thing Lance’s mother had taught him, it was to never bite the hand that feeds you. But in this case…
    There was no denying he was happy to have someone cook for him. The problem was…Carly was clearly not the best chef, a point proven when he bit into a chicken tender and had to take a huge gulp of water to push it down his throat. Not the best chef was an enormous understatement, he amended. The problem was not that Carly wasn’t a kitchen master. The problem was that Carly couldn’t cook at all. Hell, he’d had day-old MREs better than this.
    He snuck a peek at Mya who was pushing a soggy piece of broccoli around her plate. Poor kid. Then his gaze fell on Carly, who appeared oblivious to the state of her cooking. Actually, she looked really pretty. She’d pulled her hair back in a messy ponytail while she’d finished preparing the, um, “meal,” and a few strands had escaped to frame her face, a face that was flushed from the exertion of being in front of a hot stove. The extra color accentuated her green eyes and made them sparkle.
    Currently pursed as she considered her glass of wine, her lips were pink and tempting. Too tempting. What would they taste like? Probably like something amazing and decadent. So, something completely opposite of this