Read Online The Reluctant Beauty by Laurie LeClair - Free Book Online

had her sitting up. “What are you doing?” Her forehead knocked against his. “Oh, holy night,” she cursed.
    He grunted and rubbed his head. “I swear I’m going to have a goose egg tomorrow morning.”
    “Shoo! Go, be gone!” She shoved at his hard, bare chest. Heat burned her palms. He grabbed her wrists and held her hands to his wildly beating heart.
    “Of all the women in the world, it had to be you,” he muttered.
    Jerking away from him, she twisted and turned her back on him. “Some prize, huh?” His words stung. That was a first. She’d never let a guy’s comments wound her before.
    “Bad timing,” he said.
    Peg snorted.
    The sofa dipped when he joined her. A cool breeze rushed over her when he lifted the comforter to cover both of them. He cuddled close, pressed against the length of her. There was no mistaking how turned on he was. Peg gulped hard.
    “Relax. I’m dog tired, your family’s scattered around the store in various departments trying to fall asleep, Bruno’s just a call away, and, I’m not about to make it with you in a window display.”
    “Fat chance.”
    His chuckle tickled her ear. A sweep of heat rushed through her.
    “Why?”
    Austin sighed. Another whisper of warmth curled in her center. “Thought it would fix things. Never imagined it would make it worse.”
    With his hand settled on her hip, he must have drifted off. But Peg couldn’t sleep. Being so close to him kept her nerves jumping. And her mind sorted the messy aftermath of his steamy kiss.
    Her family had them practically married already. They’d mapped out the next two years of her life. She could work while they planned the wedding. And, of course, King’s Department Store, would be the one and only store they would consider for the arrangements. Once hitched, Peg would quit and the couple would move close to them. While trying for a baby, Peg could fix up the house they’d selected for her.
    The babies-slash-cousins-would grow up together. The grandparents would babysit often. Oh, and more babies to come, exactly two years apart from each other.
    It wasn’t half bad for someone who liked that sort of thing. But, not for Peg. And surely not for Austin Rhoades.
    Her mind buzzed with ways to stop the madness, once and for all.
    Plan A: He’d have to break up with her, quick and to the point. Better still, in front of her family, too. Now, all she had to do was convince him it was for the best. He needed to get out of her life, sooner rather than later.
    That shouldn’t be so hard to do, right?

 
     
     
Chapter 8
     
     
    Austin slept with dreams dancing through his mind. The visions and impressions played all night long. They felt so real, like kissing Peg again. Her soft, luscious lips came back to haunt him. He shivered. He wanted more.
    Then there were voices, a low murmur at first, and then rising. Could that be Rico talking?
    And what was that brilliant light? Was he on stage again?
    “Succotash and sassafras,” Peg cried out, yanking him fully awake.
    Sitting up, he blinked the sleep out of his eyes and looked out the window.
    A couple dozen people stared back. Some were in fatigues, holding kids, some women were peering closely and pointing; others held cameras and started clicking.
    Austin whipped around to see Rico coming into the display. With his hands pressed against his chest, he said, “O-M-G! Peg, hottie, I didn’t know you two were here. I pulled the cord to open the curtain just like Griff asked me to do.”
    Peg bolted to her knees, lost her balance, and landed on his bare chest. They both grunted. Pushing away from him, she kicked aside the covers and half rolled, half fell to the floor. She hit with a dull thud. Her rabbit feet pajamas caused the onlookers to laugh and point. “The Wounded Warrior families,” Peg whispered, scrambling to stand up. “I’m dead meat now.”
    “Rico, close the curtain,” Austin said.
    “No can do. Griff’s on his way.”
    Slowly standing,