Almost in Love Read Online Free PDF

her, and she felt suddenly like she was in a loving embrace. Was it just her desperate need for approval of her art that made her feel this way, or was something building between them? She didn’t know, but cuddling with Bare, watching her favorite show just felt right.

Chapter Four
    It had been thirty days, and the DVD delivered on its promise. Barry was now the proud owner of six-pack abs and a two-pack butt. He had to show off to Amber. He’d given her a teaser a couple of weeks ago when he was starting to show six-pack abs, but now he had the real deal—a full six-pack. He considered how to properly show off his tight, two-pack butt and finally decided it might be too soon for this stage in their relationship. He peeled off his T-shirt and threw it on top of his laundry basket, where he also stashed her pink thong, finally feeling comfortable in safely returning it without her thinking he was a perv.
    He knew she was home. She was still in a painting frenzy, working hard every day as soon as she got home from work and working through the weekend. The only breaks she took were to hang out with him. He made sure to regularly stop by with crackers and cheese, her favorite snack, or she’d completely forget to eat.
    Guilt weighed him down. He was still the only one buying her paintings. He had ordered the first one and sent it to his mother as a gift. And then, well, he couldn’t seem to stop himself from checking the website every day and buying one more. He’d hoped the sales might trigger some website algorithm that pushed her work in front of more customers, but so far it was just him. He’d told his mom to store them in her guest room, promising to claim them once he had a house to hang them in. His mom had kept her maiden name, so at least the connection back to him wasn’t obvious. He’d bought the paintings to help Amber out, but he also really liked them and believed in her talent. If he told her he was her buyer, he risked dashing her newfound confidence.
    She seemed so happy creating art all the time. He couldn’t interfere with her happiness.
    He knocked on her door, bare-chested, the laundry basket at his feet.
    “Oh, hi, Bare.” She blinked and rubbed her forehead, leaving a black mark there from leftover paint on her hand. He left it there. She looked adorable. “What time is it?”
    “Thursday night, seven o’clock, otherwise known as laundry time.” He shifted closer so she could get an up-close look at his new muscle definition and breathe in the Ocean Love cologne that promised pheromones that women couldn’t resist. He needed all the help he could get. “Have any laundry you’d like me to do with mine?”
    “Sure.” She padded into the apartment in her bare feet.
    He was a little miffed. She didn’t seem to notice all the work he’d put in on the Six-Pack Abs and Two-Pack Butt in 30 Days DVD. He did the workout every damn morning. He’d even given up sugar to move things along. And that wasn’t easy when you owned a frozen-yogurt store with a toppings bar full of delicious candy. Thirty days of hard work and no sugar to get totally ripped and nothing? Not even a Hey, did you get a haircut? Something’s different about you.
    He struck a pose, leaning an arm over the doorjamb, the other hand tucked into a jeans pocket.
    “Here you go, thanks,” she mumbled, handing over the basket. She turned and went right back to her painting.
    Clearly he had to be more obvious if he wanted to compete with her art. He pulled a T-shirt on and headed for the basement laundry, thinking hard.
    ~ ~ ~
    Amber finished up her painting with a start. She never knew exactly when it would be finished, but with her habit of painting every day now, she’d actually found a rhythm that told her, yes, that’s it, done . She stepped back. It was her finest work, if she did say so herself. Ever since Bare had moved in and she’d kicked Rick out of her life, she’d been so driven, so creative, so satisfied. It