At Any Cost Read Online Free PDF Page B

led from the kitchen, a steaming mug in each hand. “I left a message. I’m sure everyone is digging out right now. It really came down last night.”
    Livy took a cup from his outstretched hand. “I wasn’t sure what you wanted in it, so I took a wild guess.”
    She savored the creamy goodness as it rolled over her tongue. Not too sweet, and just dark enough to taste the kick of the rich roast. A cop and he could make a great cup of coffee? Nick Brady really did need a cape. “Are you cold? I can turn up the heat. It just doesn’t make sense to rekindle the fire when I’m going to be leaving in a couple of hours.”
    â€œNah, I’m all right.” Nick walked past her and made himself at home on one of the recliners that faced the fireplace. She wondered if he made it a habit to hang out in strangers’ houses. He seemed comfortable enough in hers. “Are you a good ski instructor?”
    Comfortable and up front. Was it a cop thing that even the most innocent of conversations made you feel like you were being interrogated? “I guess. I haven’t had any complaints yet.”
    Nick studied her with an intensity that Livy couldn’t help but find both unnerving and a little exciting. As though he were trying to climb right into her mind and dissect every single one of her thoughts. Her stomach tightened as a pleasant rush jolted through her bloodstream.
    â€œMaybe I’ll come up and take a lesson. I haven’t skied since I was a kid. I could probably use a refresher.”
    Livy grinned. “I’m sure you’d be right at home with the group of four to six year olds that I usually teach.”
    â€œYeah, in that case, I think I’ll stick to motor sports.”
    She could totally picture him as a motorhead. He was probably one of those guys who did hill climbs and took their sleds into avalanche country because that’s where the best powder was. “I didn’t see a snowmobile in your driveway. Is that why you decided to vacation here?”
    â€œI don’t own a snowmobile,” he said. “And I came here because the cabin was free and my supervisor told me to get the fuck out of the office before he threw me out.”
    â€œSuspended?” Livy sipped from her cup to keep her hands from shaking. This was why it was important to get know him. The last person she needed as a neighbor was a morally ambiguous cop who might not be opposed to bending—or breaking—the law.
    â€œNot exactly. I’m a little . . . intense. It gets me into trouble sometimes.”
    Livy didn’t doubt that for a second. The set of Nick’s jaw, the deep focus of his dark eyes, his brow that seemed set in a permanent scowl all indicated a personality that swung toward type A and obsessive. But how was he intense ? “Do you shake down grandmas and coerce confessions from teenage shoplifters?” She was only half kidding.
    â€œI like to ruffle feathers,” he said without breaking eye contact. “And I don’t quit until I get what I want.”
    Livy’s stomach wrung into a tight twist and released. The dark edge to his words shouldn’t have excited her. She didn’t know anything about him, for shit’s sake! There was a certain appeal to a man who knew what he wanted and went after it, though. Then again, men like that were usually trouble with a capital T . “Do people typically do what you tell them to? No questions asked.”
    He answered without a hint of humor. “Yes.”
    A rush of heat spread from Livy’s belly, outward between her thighs. “So”—she cleared her throat to keep her voice from quavering—“I take it you’re a loner?”
    â€œYeah. Always have been.”
    Livy stared into her cup. “Me too.”
    A forlorn meow came from the staircase to the left. Livy turned to find Simon perched on the post of the banister. Nick’s lips