A Christmas Together Read Online Free PDF Page A

after we get to Georgetown.”
    She almost tripped. “I refuse to run to a different state.”
    Ignoring her protest, he continued to pull until her stride kept pace with his. “Don’t be a baby. It’s across the bridge, but we’ll run along the Potomac first and cross over near the monuments. By the time we loop back to M street, the shops should be open.”
    Huffing and puffing, she put one foot in front of the other. The man might be certifiable, but she refused to wimp out. Complaining, however, gave her something to focus on. “If don’t die by the time we’re there, remind me to murder you. My feet are killing me.”
    He glanced down at her Vibram Fivefinger shoes. “I remember telling you not to wear those.”
    “It was either these or sandals.” She gritted out through clenched teeth. “I don’t own sneakers, remember?”
    “I thought you were kidding.” He slowed down by the barest fraction. “I never understood the point of ugly overpriced socks with plastic soles.”
    Needing to conserve her breath, she didn’t bother expounding the virtues of barefoot exercise.
    “Looks like you have some pep back in your step. You’re in better shape than you look.”
    Taking his statement as a compliment, she focused on expanding and contracting her diaphragm. Then a realization hit—she might make it to the other side of the river, but no way would she survive the return trip. Skidding to a stop, she admitted defeat. “Unless you brought money for a cab-ride home, we need to turn around. All I’ve got on me are my house keys.”
    Turning, he quirked a brow at her. “Throwing in the towel already?”
    Pride and common sense warred. As always, the latter won. “Unlike you, I plan ahead. Any farther, and I won’t make it back to my apartment.”
    “I could always give you a piggy-back ride. You’re what—one-fifteen sopping wet?”
    Though the thought of being plastered against his back held a certain appeal, she shook her head. “I like to get places on my own two feet.”
    He held her gaze for a long moment. “Okay. But no stopping until we’re there—deal?”
    Several dozen curse words in multiple languages echoing in her brain, she focused on getting her thigh and calf muscles to cooperate. She managed to stay in control of her sweat-drenched body until they cornered the side road leading to her building. When they came to a stop at the entrance, she bent at the waist, leveling her head with her knees.
    A hard slap on her back came close to toppling her. “Isn’t that more fun, not to mention useful, than doing a bunch of crunches? You should try this at least three times a week, and increase your distance each time.”
    Bracing her weight on her thighs, she managed to unbend by a few degrees. “You love giving unsolicited advice, don’t you?”
    As if to confirm her statement, he reached down and squeezed her upper arm. “Would this be a bad time to mention you need more muscle definition?”
    Good for the ego, this man was not. She squinted at his crotch. “If you find me so unattractive, why do you have a boner?”
    He shifted his weight to one leg. “Damn. I’d hoped you wouldn’t notice.”
    With her eyes level with his groin, how could she not? “You’ve had one since you saw me wearing contact lenses.”
    Grabbing her shoulders, he hefted her into a standing position. “Breathe slowly in and out. It’s not the lack of glasses, by the way. You’re damn cute in them. But these yoga pants fit you a lot better than yesterday’s jeans.”
    “In other words—you’ve been eyeing my butt.”
    He gave her bottom a light smack. “I sorta dig the whole package. For someone short and skinny, you’ve got a decent booty.”
    Sometime during the course of yesterday’s never-ending date, she decided the man didn’t go out of his way to be an ass. Though he took bluntness to an extreme, lacked a filter, and seemed oblivious to most social niceties, it didn’t seem as if his intent