Burning Up Read Online Free PDF Page A

fast as she’d locked gazes with him, she turned her attention to selecting a roll and passing the basket to Janna.
    Leaving him irritated as hell that he felt…let down.
    And itching for something he couldn’t even name.
     
    M ACY HAD JUST GOTTEN Janna settled in the over-stuffed chair in their room when her cousin swore and started levering herself out of it again.
    “Whoa!” Macy put a hand on her shoulder. “Sit. Stay. What do you need?”
    “Me, nothing. But I forgot all about Ty’s uniform for tomorrow’s Little League game. Dammit, I meant to check earlier to make sure it was clean and not moldering under his bed since the last game.” She planted her hands on the arms of the chair as if preparing to push herself back onto her feet.
    “Plant your butt,” Macy ordered. When Janna narrowed her eyes at her, she snapped, “Don’t give me that look. This is exactly the kind of thing you wanted me here for. So take a deep breath. I’ll run up and see if he has it. And if it is under the bed, I’ll make him fish it out and we’ll bring it down and run a load of laundry. You know that’s no biggie. There’s always something needs washing in this house.”
    “Okay.” Blowing out a breath, her cousin sagged against the cushions. “Thank you.” She scrubbed a hand over her mouth. “God, I hate this. Every little molehill turns into frigging Mount Everest.”
    “I know. But that’s what you’ve got me for—I’m your designated mountain climber. So prop that leg up. Grab your book. Or I can turn on Wheel, if you prefer. You always were better at that game than me. You want anything from the kitchen?”
    “God, no. I’m still stuffed from dinner.”
    She grinned. “Yeah. I wasn’t kidding when Itold the fire chief your mom puts on one dynamite spread.”
    But the last thing she wanted to think about was Gabriel Donovan. She hated the fact she was so aware of the man while he was all cool-eyed disinterest when he looked at her.
    “All right, then,” she said briskly. “I’ll go find out the status of Ty’s uniform.”
    She took the stairs two at a time up to the second floor and strode down the hall to the Closet, where she rapped on the door.
    “Who is it?” Tyler’s muffled voice demanded.
    “Emissary from your commanding officer, Seaman Purcell. Open up.”
    The door whipped open. “I’m not a seaman, Aunt Macy—I’m captain of the sub!”
    “My mistake, Cap’n. So, you all ready for tomorrow’s game? You have your uniform in tiptop shape?”
    “Yep. Grandma washed it up for me and it’s in my closet. On a hanger and everything.”
    “Excellent. How ’bout your shoes, mitt, all that sorta thing? They ready, too?”
    “Uh-huh.” He gave a long-suffering sigh. “Can me and Charlie get back to our game now?”
    Over his shoulder she saw Charlie twist around to stare at her and hooked her elbow around Tyler’s neck to haul him in for a noogie. “Yes, you may,” she said, turning him loose. “As you were—”
    He shut the door in her face.
    “—men.” A huff of laughter escaped her. “Am I racking up the points with the under-twenty crowd tonight, or what?”
    She was smiling when she turned around, but yelped in surprise as she smacked into someone. Reaching out a hand to steady herself, she jerked it back when it touched the abdomen of whatshisname, one of the guys studying at the Experimental.
    “Steady there.” His hands grasped her upper arms.
    “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you.” She stepped back, breathing easier when the man’s hands dropped away. Jeez, girl, get a grip. This was a shy young man, not Jack the Ripper. “Um, Brian, right?”
    “Yeah. Hey, at dinner, I didn’t get a chance to say how much I enjoy your videos. That Aussie Kiss one, Burn, Baby, Burn? Man, you smoked in that!”
    A corner of her mouth ticked up. “Mr. Dawson, are you punning me?”
    “Huh?” Then he chuckled. “Oh. I guess I did make a pun. Not on purpose, though. I just