All To Myself Read Online Free PDF Page A

glass full of amber ale and place it on a coaster in front of him. “You must be losing your touch.”
    “Are you going to say yes?”
    “I’m not going to say yes.”
    He seemed to be smacked across the face with her rejection. His raised his brows and clearly fought for words. She felt bad for him, and she wanted to say yes more than she was willing to admit it to herself, but she wouldn’t. She wouldn’t be the townie who opened her legs for the gorgeous rich boy from away.
    His mouth made all sorts of shapes before he cleared this throat and gave himself a shake. He drew his beer closer, turning it so the logo faced him, and chuckled. “I really don’t know why I expected you to just say yes.”
    “Because you rarely hear ‘no’ from women.”
    “I ... apparently so.”
    “Sorry, but I’m really not looking for a summer hook-up. Even if I was, I don’t have time for a summer hook-up. I work two jobs.”
    A wounded look passed over his face. It came and went so quickly that if it hadn’t left that queer heavy feeling in her stomach she would have doubted it had been there to begin with.
    One of the newer waitresses bobbed up with an order and turned a smile on Noah. Rory rolled her eyes as she prepared a couple of mojito pitchers. Seconds after she shot him down, Noah had bounced right back up with a sly smile and suggestive lines. As soon as the waitress had left, he shifted right back to Rory.
    “Who said I want to hook up? Maybe I like you.”
    “If that was true, you wouldn’t have been flirting right in front of me.”
    “What do you expect me to do? Cry because you shot me down?”
    He spoke these words so seriously she had to take a moment to dissect his tone. There was nothing in it but teasing, and part of her wished he had been caustic. If he came off like an asshole, she wouldn’t feel like such a shit for turning him down.
    “At least wait until I’m out of earshot.” She poured herself some water and took a gulp, then decided to get out of this territory. “How’s the work study going?”
    He laughed. “Improving. I got my ass handed to me yesterday. As soon as I came in, Dad gave me a uniform and told me to make beds. He said he wasn’t wasting another second on me until I worked every department for one day.”
    “Did you actually clean rooms?”
    “And was told I suck at it, but at least now I know how to make hospital corners.”
    Rory overflowed with the giggles. The housekeeping manager had been on the property for thirty years and was known for being a cheerless, no-nonsense woman who ruled her employees with an iron plunger.
    “What about today?”
    “I mowed the lawn, which I did not suck at, but the guys still laughed at me.”
    “Not so shiny on the other side of things, is it?”
    “At least tomorrow I get to shadow the concierge, so I need to bone up on what there is to do around here.”
    “Good idea. I doubt anyone here is going to be interested in spiked lemonade on the beach.”
    “Laugh now, but you’ll have me behind the bar before the week is out.”
    Rory raise her brows. “You’re not waiting tables?”
    “No one wants me dropping prime rib all over the place.”
    Rory raised her water bottle. “I’ll go easy on you. No ass handing here. Speaking of which, I heard you met my grandfather the other night.”
    “Yes, I did.” His shoulders shook with laughter, and that damned tickle returned in Rory’s belly. He had a delightful smile that took over his whole face. “I can see who taught you to be such a hard ass. He threatened to sic his dog on me.”
    “Owl’s so lazy, the only way he’d attack you is if you were covered in gravy. And what do you mean, hard ass? I’m not a hard ass. You just can’t stand that I won’t do what you want me to do.”
    “And you can’t stand being told what to do.”
    “That’s not true. If I hadn’t been late for work --”
    “Blah, blah, blah. I’m not buying it. Your leg could have been hanging by a