A Christmas Together Read Online Free PDF Page B

floor plan. An island containing the sink and dishwasher separated the kitchen from the living area. A few barstools flanked it from the carpeted side.
    The smell of fresh-ground beans permeated her apartment, along with the delicious scent of heated butter. Taking the whistling kettle off the stove, Karl pivoted to face her as she climbed onto the closest seat. He poured boiling water into the glass beaker he’d placed in the sink. Once done, he deposited the kettle back in its initial spot, fastened the metal filter over the press, and lifted it onto the island’s granite countertop.
    How was she supposed to kick him out when he’d cooked and made her coffee?
    Too tired to even contemplate going outside again today, she’d opted for shorts and a fitted tank. Goosebumps prickled her arm as his gaze traced the lacy neckline and lingered in the vicinity of her non-existent cleavage. The top left her shoulders bare but for two thin straps, and the shorts cut off several inches above the knee. Even as logic insisted she end this flirtation here and now, her subconscious seemed to have other plans. Why else would her clothing trend favor showing increasing amounts of skin?
    Peering around his broad shoulders to do a quick sweep of the tiled kitchen area, she lifted her brows in surprise. She’d expected to see a disaster zone, but all the surfaces appeared cleaner than they did this morning. Glancing downward, she noticed and approved of his uncovered feet. She’d placed a shoe rack in the entry way for a reason. “I use the press to make tea and the grinder for spices. Did I smell something frying, or was I so hungry I imagined things?”
    “Unlike a certain someone,” he placed two plates laden with scrambled eggs, Canadian bacon, and hash browns on the counter, “I clean up while I cook. This way, when I’m done with the meal, all I have to do is put my plate in the dishwasher.”
    She bent down and sniffed the food. Butter made most edibles smell divine and did fiendish things to the back of her arms. “Nothing here came out of my fridge.”
    He plunked a bottle of organic ketchup in front of her. “This did, which means it won’t taste right. I don’t know how women can spend close to an hour in the shower, but it gave me plenty of time to swing by the supermarket and make breakfast. What do you do in there by the way?”
    Pinching her fingers, she drew a line in front of her mouth. “I’m sworn to secrecy.” Eyeing her plate, she calculated the calories. “Eating all this would mean all that running was for nothing.” And even though it didn’t make a lick of sense, she’d glut herself on the delicious treat anyway.
    He patted his belly. Since he’d paired a lightweight T-shirt with dark jeans, she could almost see his stomach’s flat muscled lines. “Protein is good for you. Look how I turned out.”
    Humility definitely didn’t number among his personality traits. “You’re blessed by genetics, and you’ll pay for it when your metabolism slows down.”
    He filled two mugs and slid them over. “A lot of men get in the best shape of their lives after turning thirty. Since we’re on the subject, are you at least over the drinking age? Judging from your files, you skipped a few grades growing up.”
    “My files would have included my birth date, so you know very well I’m a whole year over twenty-one.” She positioned the steaming beverages by their plates before accepting the proffered utensils. The all-purpose island was one of the reasons she’d fallen in love with this apartment. It simplified the process of cooking and eating. “Are you trying to guilt yourself into leaving or something? Your ‘robbing the cradle’ logic doesn’t work. You might be a decade older, but my IQ puts me at twice your brain age.”
    He walked around the island and slid onto the stool perpendicular to hers. “By the way, really smart people don’t show off. Not everyone likes a know-it-all.”
    “Do