Celtic Rose Read Online Free PDF

Kalan saw her face and smiled, but William glowered.
    When Kallisto went to sit down, she headed to the opposite side of Kalan, to Talus’ chair, right by William. William smiled invitingly and Kalan was left glaring, which made Kallisto glad. She sat so her body was still facing the kitchen so she wouldn’t give William the wrong signals, but she turned her head to him. She’d decided try to perfect her flirting skills.
    “So, William, you tried to convince my brother you were the right choice for me?” Kallisto hoped her smile was enticing. He took the bait and leaned over toward her, placing his hand on the back of her chair. She couldn’t tell if he was really falling for it or just playing along.
    “Yeah, I’m much better than Talus,” William said with a seductive grin.
    Talus snorted but kept his attention on cooking. Kalan gritted his teeth and balled his fists. William was apparently not the type of guy Kallisto’s brother wanted her to date.
    Kallisto’s grin turned into more of a sneer; she thought William really needed to check his ego. “So what exactly makes you better than Talus? I didn’t see you coming to the rescue when I burned my hand.” She patted the ice pack.
    “Well…I just…he seemed to have it under control.” William stumbled over his words as he tried to speak.
    “I also noticed that you didn’t offer to cook breakfast.” Kallisto glanced at Talus, who seemed to be smiling triumphantly, but never took his eyes off the pan. As she looked back, she also noticed a smirk on her brother’s face. She thought that needed to go.
    “I’m all for second chances, though, so…what can you offer that Talus can’t?” That wiped the smirk off her brother’s face, but Talus still smiled. Maybe he knew what she was trying to do. William, who had been somber, smiled again, but it wasn’t the same smile as before. He finally looked humbled.
    “Well, maybe while you’re here, you could tell me,” William said grinning.
    The only thought that came to her mind in that second was uh-oh. She never thought he’d take her flirting seriously.
    “We’ll make your visit a type of challenge. You can tell us at the end of the trip who offers more.” William’s old smile came back as he spoke.
    She should have known this new found flirting ability would land her into trouble; she’d seen it too many times with Ramina and Kalan. She flushed red again. Definitely a record , she thought.
    Ramina came out of the bathroom wearing a baby tee and some tight jeans that made her muscles look even more defined. A braid that trailed down her spine past her waist was hiding her tattoo. Kallisto wished she had a tattoo like Ramina’s so she could wear clothes like her.
    Kalan’s eyebrows rose as he appraised her. William leaned back and whistled. Ramina smiled, not the least bit shy to receive such attention. Talus kept cooking, never looking up. Kallisto used that moment to make her escape, rushed to the dresser, grabbed some clothes, and all but ran to the bathroom. She knew Kalan would fill Ramina in on everything that happened while she was in the shower, and she needed the time to collect her thoughts.
    Luckily, there was still plenty of hot water, which Kallisto wasn’t used to. In her house she would’ve had to wait at least an hour after Ramina had taken a shower. In the hotel, though, the shower was blissful and eased all the stress she felt. While she thought about what just happened, she couldn’t help but smile. The hot water stung her burned hand, but as she looked at it, Kallisto remembered the care Talus showed as he took care of it.
    Kallisto couldn’t wait to get back out there again. Even though William seemed egotistical, she could tell when she cut him down that it was just a show. His eyes showed a caring, kind man. He had probably been just as nervous as she’d been; the ego was probably just a defense mechanism of some kind that overcompensated for shyness. Kallisto thought