Arrested Pleasure Read Online Free PDF Page B

mulled his options. Top of the list were getting hold of Gavin, learning the name of his visitor yesterday, and getting the scoop on how they were connected. Never before in his life had he wanted someone as badly as he did her.
    The few minutes he'd spent had filled him with an uncontrollable urge to possess her. A craving he couldn't ignore or satisfy only once.

    * * * * *

    "Thank you, Mrs. Markham. You're a blessing to bring us back here."
    The gray-haired buxom owner of Markham's smiled and nodded as she handed Cassie and Dani their sandwiches.
    "When I saw you two out there with the large crowd and knew you only had a short lunch break, I thought it was a neighborly thing to do." She settled herself into a chair across from them. "Besides, this will give us a chance to catch up."
    "Sure. Cassie can tell us about the man she met last night."
    "Dani!" Cassie frowned at her friend. "Honestly, I will probably never see him again." Her face warmed in embarrassment, Damn her for bringing him up .
    "You met a young gentleman, Cassie?" Esther Markham asked, a curious expression on her face.
    Giving Dani a warning look, Cassie nodded. "I went by Gavin's to leave him a little something and found out he'd moved. Plus, he's now engaged to Sharon.
    Anyway"—she pulled off a piece of meat and nibbled on it—"another person was there.
    We chatted and"—she glared at Dani—"that is all. End of story."
    Mrs. Markham smiled. "I'm glad you've moved on after the breakup." She studied Cassie for a few seconds. "This new person. A friend of Gavin's? Someone you're possibly interested in?"
    "No. He's just . . . ." She hesitated, lost for words. How could she describe this stranger to her friends? Did it matter since she'd likely never see him again?
    "I think Cassie should call up Gavin and find out who he is," Dani said between bites of her dill pickle. "He must be a hunk if he has you in a dither."
    Cassie stared at her. She'd thought the same thing about contacting Gavin. But that might bring further questions. Possible answers she hadn't decided on herself.
    Why had she let a total stranger touch her so intimately? Usually she initiated the lovemaking in a new relationship. With him last night, he had forced her—willingly she conceded—to kiss him in return and played her body like a master.
    Cassie mentally kicked herself. She needed to get over this. Call up Gavin and casually mention she'd stopped by. Oh, by the way, who is staying in your house?
    "I'll call Gavin in a few days and ask him. Also let him know his friend . . . tenant
    . . . or whoever he is, has his present."
    "Present? You're giving men presents?" Mrs. Markham asked.
    Beside her, Dani snickered and almost choked on her sandwich. Cassie gave her a warning glare. No doubt Esther Markham wasn't into giving men cock rings and would be shocked to learn they even existed.
    "It was just a little . . . token of our past friendship. Like a gag gift. We were more friends than . . . ." She almost said lovers and winced inwardly. This conversation wasn't something she normally had in the elderly lady's presence.
    "Ah." Mrs. Markham rose and poured herself another cup of tea. The noise of the lunchtime crowd reverberated from the other part of the building. She lived in the back, while her sons resided upstairs. Enrique and Tony ran a smooth operation under the skillful direction of their mother. At the age of seventy, she worked in the background, leaving the day-to-day operations to her sons.
    Cassie glanced at her watch and shoved her plate away, realizing she needed to get back to the spa. "It's almost one. Lola is probably getting ready to open the doors to the spa again. We better leave since we have several appointments this afternoon. This was a nice break and as usual, great food." She rose and smiled at Esther. "Thanks for bringing us back here, Mrs. Markham."
    "Anytime for my favorite girls." The smiling restaurant owner nodded toward the front. "My boys are good