Read Online Three Little Words by Maggie Wells - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Maggie Wells
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glance. The other man feigned interest in the fire extinguisher mounted on the wall, but was obviously listening to every word. “I’m not quite as easy as you might believe given what happened last night.”
The mild accusation landed like a blow. He recoiled a bit then stood up straighter. Oh, hell no. Things may have been a bit fuzzy and out of character for one or both of them the previous night, but he wasn’t about to let her make him the bad guy. “I never thought you were easy.”
“Good.” One corner of her mouth lifted in a wince. “If I’m going to have to explain leaving my purse and coat behind, I think you should have to endure a little familial humiliation, too.”
“Humiliation?”
She wet her lips. The quick subtle flick of her tongue made his nerve endings stand at attention. Her pulse beat beneath her jaw but her eyes remained cool and clear.
“The way I see it, you have two sources of information—Will or Ben. I’m doing the walk of shame with a guy I slept with last century. I think you can exert yourself a little bit if you want information.” A coy smile curved her damp pink lips. “Think of it as sweat equity.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“It means, if you want to pick up where we left off, you either make a deal with the devil,” she said, nodding to Will, who immediately broke into a mile-wide grin, “or, you can pump Ben and Kaylin for information on poor old Aunt Josephine. Pick your poison.” She stepped over the threshold. “Thanks for an…interesting night, Greg. I had fun.”
Before he could respond, Will stepped forward and offered Josie a gallant arm. “Your chariot awaits, milady.”
Her gaze lingered on Greg as she took Will’s arm. “Thank you, kind sir.”
Will nodded as they passed, steering Josie toward the elevators. “Don’t worry, buddy. I’ve got her.”
Greg stepped back, letting the door slam hard between them. Unfortunately, the reverberation wasn’t nearly loud enough to drown out Will’s rolling chuckle or the murmur of Josie’s soft-spoken rejoinder.
“Not for long, buddy,” he muttered. “Humiliation… Sweat equity.”
Stalking into the bathroom, he unhooked his tuxedo pants and let them fall. He stepped out of the pants and his boxers, avoiding the bloodshot gaze of the wreck of a man reflected in the mirror as he started the shower. Without testing the temperature, he stepped under the spray and ducked his head, letting the water wash away the last of the cobwebs.
When he raised his head at last, Greg tapped a long-neglected reservoir of resolve he found mired in the dregs of his hangover. “Not for long.”
Chapter 5
Jo shivered when the elevator doors slid open to reveal the parking garage. As if it wasn’t bad enough for a woman of her age to put herself in the position of doing the one-shoed limp of shame, she almost set herself up for a fabulous case of hypothermia to boot. Score two big ones for old Aunt Jo.
Exhausted and hung over, she’d expended the last of her energy trying to get out of Greg’s room with some semblance of her tattered pride. Now all she wanted to do was curl up and sleep the day away. Asleep, she wouldn’t have to wait or worry. Asleep, she might pretend she didn’t hear his knock rather than know his knock probably wouldn’t come. Better to be passed out than stood up.
She blinked back a fresh rush of hot tears and stepped out into the garage. Will caught her elbow and drew her to a halt.
Humiliation burned hot in her cheeks when she raised her gaze to his. “I bet this is fun for you.”
“Well, it would be more fun if I had a white horse and a sword, but this isn’t too shabby.”
The amusement in his tone did the trick where all her useless eyelash fluttering failed. Her tears immediately dried up, only to be replaced with a lump of indignation.
Drawing a sharp breath, she glared at him. “Do you often get stuck batting clean-up for your pal?”
“I have
The mild accusation landed like a blow. He recoiled a bit then stood up straighter. Oh, hell no. Things may have been a bit fuzzy and out of character for one or both of them the previous night, but he wasn’t about to let her make him the bad guy. “I never thought you were easy.”
“Good.” One corner of her mouth lifted in a wince. “If I’m going to have to explain leaving my purse and coat behind, I think you should have to endure a little familial humiliation, too.”
“Humiliation?”
She wet her lips. The quick subtle flick of her tongue made his nerve endings stand at attention. Her pulse beat beneath her jaw but her eyes remained cool and clear.
“The way I see it, you have two sources of information—Will or Ben. I’m doing the walk of shame with a guy I slept with last century. I think you can exert yourself a little bit if you want information.” A coy smile curved her damp pink lips. “Think of it as sweat equity.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“It means, if you want to pick up where we left off, you either make a deal with the devil,” she said, nodding to Will, who immediately broke into a mile-wide grin, “or, you can pump Ben and Kaylin for information on poor old Aunt Josephine. Pick your poison.” She stepped over the threshold. “Thanks for an…interesting night, Greg. I had fun.”
Before he could respond, Will stepped forward and offered Josie a gallant arm. “Your chariot awaits, milady.”
Her gaze lingered on Greg as she took Will’s arm. “Thank you, kind sir.”
Will nodded as they passed, steering Josie toward the elevators. “Don’t worry, buddy. I’ve got her.”
Greg stepped back, letting the door slam hard between them. Unfortunately, the reverberation wasn’t nearly loud enough to drown out Will’s rolling chuckle or the murmur of Josie’s soft-spoken rejoinder.
“Not for long, buddy,” he muttered. “Humiliation… Sweat equity.”
Stalking into the bathroom, he unhooked his tuxedo pants and let them fall. He stepped out of the pants and his boxers, avoiding the bloodshot gaze of the wreck of a man reflected in the mirror as he started the shower. Without testing the temperature, he stepped under the spray and ducked his head, letting the water wash away the last of the cobwebs.
When he raised his head at last, Greg tapped a long-neglected reservoir of resolve he found mired in the dregs of his hangover. “Not for long.”
Chapter 5
Jo shivered when the elevator doors slid open to reveal the parking garage. As if it wasn’t bad enough for a woman of her age to put herself in the position of doing the one-shoed limp of shame, she almost set herself up for a fabulous case of hypothermia to boot. Score two big ones for old Aunt Jo.
Exhausted and hung over, she’d expended the last of her energy trying to get out of Greg’s room with some semblance of her tattered pride. Now all she wanted to do was curl up and sleep the day away. Asleep, she wouldn’t have to wait or worry. Asleep, she might pretend she didn’t hear his knock rather than know his knock probably wouldn’t come. Better to be passed out than stood up.
She blinked back a fresh rush of hot tears and stepped out into the garage. Will caught her elbow and drew her to a halt.
Humiliation burned hot in her cheeks when she raised her gaze to his. “I bet this is fun for you.”
“Well, it would be more fun if I had a white horse and a sword, but this isn’t too shabby.”
The amusement in his tone did the trick where all her useless eyelash fluttering failed. Her tears immediately dried up, only to be replaced with a lump of indignation.
Drawing a sharp breath, she glared at him. “Do you often get stuck batting clean-up for your pal?”
“I have
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