Read Online The Rebel by J.R. Ward - Free Book Online Page B

with loose clothes, either. She didn’t like things that chaffed or had to be removed with a crowbar. And thongs were nothingmore than wedgies you had to pay for the privilege of getting. Which was nuts.
    Nate cocked an eyebrow, waiting for her answer.
    She shrugged. “We’ve only got fireflies and shooting stars here at White Caps, but there is a bar in town. Somehow, though, I imagine you’d prefer something more exciting than what the Stop, Drop and Roll offers.”
    â€œThat’s the name of the bar?”
    â€œIt’s owned by a volunteer fireman.”
    He smiled. “Well, I think what you have here will do just fine.”
    She shot him a skeptical look, refusing to read into his words. “Coming from New York City, I’m sure you’ll want something with more of an edge.”
    â€œThat depends on who I’m with. Sometimes quiet is better.” His eyes moved down to her lips and his grin disappeared. “Sometimes, two people only need the night.”
    A moment later he turned away, leaving her staring after him.
    Her fingers went to her mouth and she wondered whether you could be kissed without actually being kissed.
    After he’d looked at her like that, she’d have to say yes.
    Frankie leaned forward and put her forehead against a shelf. Oh, God, what was she getting herself into? And why now? After years of being as closeto a nun as a woman could get while not actually wearing the habit and crepe-soled shoes, now she decides to get all hot and bothered about a man? A man who, by the way, was just passing through and would be gone by the end of the summer? Who was her employee?
    She’d been busy worrying about what would happen if he got his hands on Joy, but maybe she’d do better looking into a mirror. She should probably be giving herself a stiff lecture about not ending up heartbroken in September. Because that was the way it would end between them. He would go back to the city. She would stay behind.
    Just as it had been with David.
    The cold metal pressing into her eyebrows reminded her she was standing in a walk-in. As if the pounds of vegetables and the hearty draft wouldn’t have clued her in.
    Frankie straightened up and looked at her inventory sheet. The orderly rows of columns were a comfort, but when she tried to get back to work, her fingers had pretty much frozen stiff and her handwriting was like a child’s. She rushed through the inventory thinking that, with Nate gone, she could feel the cold through her clothes.
    When she rushed out, blowing into her hands, she thought that at least the walk-in’s compressor was still going strong.
    Â 
    Nate was happy to see the tow company’s truck pull up. After greeting the guy, he walked over to the barn behind the mansion and opened the double doors, motioning the flatbed back. He knew Lucille would feel right at home. The stalls on both sides were full of dust-covered, broken-down equipment, including a riding mower, a rototiller and a snowblower.
    Though maybe she’d just be depressed by the company.
    When Lucille was in the barn, he paid the guy and popped her hood. After giving her engine the once-over again, he crawled beneath her and looked at her undercarriage. She’d leaked out all her oil and that was what worried him. All her hoses were plugged in and her oil pan was solid because he’d replaced it a year ago. He had a feeling her engine block might have cracked. Not encouraging.
    Nate shrugged out from under the car and stood up, looking for something to clean the grime off his hands. There was nothing around so he used the edge of his T-shirt, figuring it needed to go into the wash anyway. He opened the trunk, took out his duffel bag full of clothes and was slinging the thing over his shoulder when the back door to the house slapped shut. Frankie walked out into the pale sunshine.
    She was wearing a pair of shorts that gave him a clear look at her legs and