Bad Bones (Claire Morgan) Read Online Free PDF Page B

that,” Black said, but he wasted no time pulling off his shirt. “But we’ll see. I like a challenge.”
    By the time Claire sat down on the couch and pulled off her gloves and jerked off one crusted snow boot, Black was already undressed and sitting in the hot tub waiting for her. He said, “Bad day, I take it. You’re usually incapable of turning down French fries for this long.”
    “Yep, pretty damn bad. Unless you enjoy standing in sub-zero weather, directing traffic and avoiding cars slipping and sliding all over the ice.”
    Claire pulled off her sock hat and unwound her scarf and threw them both aside, hurrying now, ready, willing, and able to get into that nice warm bubbling water with her guy. Her little white poodle, Jules Verne, had other plans. Not to be ignored, he suddenly came barreling down the steps from the loft bedroom and jumped acrobatically onto the couch and then up into her arms. She took a minute from tugging off her clothes and snuggled him close and momentarily suffered his excited face licking.
    “That dog always gets to you first,” Black said, watching her push down her snow pants and kick them off. “So it was pretty brutal out there, huh?”
    “Yeah, and I’m tired and very ready for some downtime. And black and blue from falling on the ice.”
    “Is that sunburn on your face?”
    “More like windburn, and maybe a tad of frostbite.”
    “Well, hurry it up and get those clothes off. I’ve been waiting for this all day long.”
    “Ditto, believe you me.”
    Claire quickly unzipped her flannel-lined hooded fleece sweatshirt, her eyes latched on Black. He looked pretty damn good bare chested, eyes flashing blue in the lamplight as he watched her strip off more clothes. At least he did until he frowned and said, “And I can’t help but notice that you’re not wearing your engagement ring.”
    “Yes, I am.”
    “Well, I don’t see it on your finger, Claire.”
    “No. But it’s right here on this chain hanging around my neck, right alongside the St. Michael’s medal that you gave me to keep me alive and kicking.” She pulled it out of her thermal underwear top and showed him, and then looped both it and her badge chain off over her head.
    “Right. Guess I haven’t seen all that many engagement rings worn quite that way.”
    That remark was edged with a very mild degree of sarcasm, so Claire thought it best to ignore it. He stared at her, apparently rather unhappy with her choice of ring display, and not willing to hide his irked feelings. Since she happened to have a perfectly good reason for the chain thing, she decided to share it with him.
    “Don’t get your back up, Black. I don’t wanna lose it since it cost you plenty, the market value of this house, probably. That diamond’s so big that I’m afraid it’s gonna get caught on something if I have to pull my weapon real quicklike. I know you wouldn’t want that to happen.”
    “So you shoot with your left hand now?”
    Claire unzipped her jeans and kicked them off. “Sometimes, I do, if my other hand’s busy punching somebody in the gut.”
    “Hope you’re not referring to me.” But Black was not one to hedge when he had something to say, and he didn’t this time, either. “So what’s this all about, Claire? You having second thoughts about getting married? Is that it?”
    Claire stopped undressing and gave him her most highly exasperated, and yes, annoyed gander. “Well, no. Come on , Black, give me a break here. I’m cold and tired and not in the mood for some silly argument.”
    “You were ready enough to commit before that snowstorm hit and grounded the plane on Christmas Eve. Or we would’ve been married that night in Las Vegas. Now it’s the end of January and still no wedding.”
    Claire pulled off her insulated undershirt. “Yeah, but the plane did get snowed in. Hey, you’re the one who wants a great big, flashy wedding. That takes time to plan, you know.”
    “At this point, I just want