A Little Surprise for the Boss (Mills & Boon Desire) Read Online Free PDF Page A

about her being in his bed this morning, it was totally gone.
    He was still dealing with the reality of it. Terri was an attractive woman—beautiful in an unassuming way. But he’d always made it a rule to keep his hands off his best friend’s sister. Steve had been gone for a dozen years now, but that rule hadn’t changed. Until now, he’d assumed she had the same rule. But this morning had thrown the rule book out the window, for both of them.
    He forced himself up to speak. “Pizza it is. How about Giovanni’s?”
    “Yes!” Quinn grinned. “Their pizza’s the yummiest! Can Terri come with us?”
    “Terri?” He looked at her, half hoping she’d make an excuse not to come along. Terri’s presence was rousing his memory and putting lustful thoughts into his head—the last thing he needed right now. Their interlude this morning had been incredible…but it could never be repeated.
    “I’d better not,” she said, avoiding his eyes. “I promised my grandmother I’d come and visit her tonight.”
    “Please, Terri!” Quinn begged. “If we go now you’ll still have time to see your grandma.”
    “Come on, Terri.” Buck remembered his resolve to act as if nothing had happened. “It won’t be a party without you.”
    She hesitated, then sighed. “All right. I am getting hungry. But let me follow you in the Jeep. That way, when we’re finished, I can just go from Giovanni’s to Canyon Shadows.”
    “Okay. Let’s get going.” Buck put Quinn’s bag inside the house and helped her into the passenger seat of the Hummer. He had to believe that in time, if he kept up the act, things would go back to normal. But right now, with the memory of Terri’s lithe, lush body fresh in his mind, it was like walking a tightrope over a volcano. One slip and he’d be in big trouble.
    * * *
    Terri waited until the Hummer had backed down the steep driveway. Then she turned the Jeep around and followed the hulking vehicle down to the road. It wasn’t too late to head off in a different direction. She could always make an excuse, call Buck’s cell, apologize and say that she’d remembered an important errand. But Quinn would be disappointed if she didn’t show up to share a pizza. Buck, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care either way—about sharing a pizza with her now, or about sharing a bed with her this morning.
    Part of her wanted to believe that this morning would make a difference, that Buck would look at her and see a warm, desirable woman. But clearly that hadn’t happened. It was time for her to face the truth. No matter what happened, Buck was never going to see her the way she wanted to be seen. There was only one question left: What was she going to do about it?
    Twilight was settling over the town and over the sandstone cliffs that ringed it like the setting of a jewel. Main Street glittered with streams of traffic. Shoppers and diners strolled the boardwalks. Music drifted from cafés and taverns.
    This was Buck’s town, but that didn’t mean she had to stay here forever. She had the qualifications and the experience to get a job anywhere in the tourist industry. She’d be a fool to let loyalty keep her in a situation where she felt like a piece of furniture.
    Giovanni’s Pizzeria was at the far end of Main Street. When the Hummer’s taillights turned into the parking lot, Terri followed and pulled into the next space. Buck and Quinn were waiting for her when she climbed out of the Jeep. “Let’s go!” Quinn seized her hand and pulled her toward the entrance. “Extralarge pepperoni and giant root beer, here I come!”
    Buck chuckled as he caught up with Terri. “Quinn tells me her mother’s had her on nothing but wheatgrass juice and tofu,” he said. “She’s probably exaggerating, but it’ll be a pleasure to see her enjoy real food.”
    Terri forced a little laugh. The hostess showed them to a booth with a traditional red-checked tablecloth and a candle melting down the outside of