Cara O'Shea's Return Read Online Free PDF Page B

those damn butterflies weren’t dead after all, she looked away. Was brain damage contagious?
    “How much do you want for the bookstore?”
    She blinked, jerking her gaze back to his at the sudden change in subject. “It’s not for sale.”
    “Everything is for sale, if the price is right.”
    “Not everything.”
    “How did you convince Maive to sell to you?”
    “I didn’t have to convince her. I told her I wanted it and she agreed.”
    “I’ve been after her to sell me the bookstore for two years, but she wasn’t interested.”
    Her smile brittle, she suggested, “Maybe she just doesn’t like you.”
    He threw back his head and laughed. She stared at the strong cords of his throat, annoyed at the shimmer of heat coursing through her.
    “She loves me.” His boast was thick with utter confidence.
    “Obviously not enough to sell you the bookstore.”
    He dipped his head to meet her eyes. “I would have charmed her into it eventually. You beat me to the punch.”
    She rolled her eyes at his arrogance, and he grinned, his crooked smile producing killer dimples. No doubt, he would have gotten his way with Maive in time.
    “It always amazes me how men like you can walk upright, carrying around such a big head.”
    The grin remained on his face. “Men like me?”
    She smirked. “Good looking jocks with more brawn than brain.”
    He ignored the insult to his intelligence, his grin widening. “You think I’m good looking, huh? Why don’t we slip out of here and go somewhere private where you can tell me more?”
    Well, she walked right into that one, hadn’t she? She lowered her eyes, turning her head to stare blindly at the other dancers. “You’ve just made my point.”
    He released her hand to grasp her chin between his index finger and thumb, turning her until she was facing him again.
    “I was kidding, Cara.” She didn’t return his smile. “Okay, maybe not completely,” he admitted in a teasing tone.
    She made her stare blank.
    “Jesus, you’re skittish.” The song ended and she scowled at him when he didn’t immediately let her go. “I’m attracted to you, O’Shea.”
    If it wouldn’t have drawn attention to the heat flushing up her chest and into her face, she would have slapped her hands over her cheeks. She miscalculated, believing ignoring him would dissuade him from pursuing the interest she read in his eyes. But how could she dissuade him if he refused to be ignored and swallowed her insults with a smile?
    The uninterested bitch tactic always worked for her in the past. Well, mostly. But no cutesy insults would do the trick this time. Bold truth was called for.
    “I’m not interested.”
    His gaze on hers remained steady. His big hand on the small of her back and his grasp on her chin kept her from making a cutting exit. Her eyes darted about the room searching for an escape route. When she didn’t find one, she finally glanced back at him. His eyes held a touch of wry humor.
    “We’ll see about that.”
    She attempted to jerk back from the mouth descending toward hers, but he held her chin firm. His lips barely brushed hers in a chaste kiss, before he straightened.
    “Thanks for the dance, O’Shea.” He dropped his hand from her chin and walked away, leaving her staring after him from the middle of the dance floor.
    With Meggy’s assistance, she managed to avoid him the rest of the evening, until he stopped to say goodbye to the newlyweds. Standing at the bar with her sisters and Meggy, Cara remained silent as he explained he needed to catch the last shuttle out of Logan Airport, to tape a guest interview in the morning on the Sport’s Network. She refused to blush when he shot her a grinning wink before leaving, and then did her best to ignore Meggy’s raised brows.
    Without his disturbing presence, she was able to relax and enjoy the rest of the reception, with the exception of the few minutes guided around the dance floor in her father’s arms. Erin proved her