Icing on the Cake (Close to Home) Read Online Free PDF

me. Maybe you want to take one tomorrow?”
    Oh, he really was quick. Super smooth. “A tempting offer, but Nia would lose her shit if I didn’t go back to the house tonight. I’m not a total bitch, despite what you may have heard.”
    “I form my own opinions.”
    “And what’s your opinion?”
    He glanced over, his lips curved in a wholly amused grin. “So you are the kind of girl who likes to talk about stuff.”
    “Your annoyingness is starting to outweigh your hotness, lawman.” She ignored his sexy laugh and pulled her cell from her back pocket. The old checking-the-email trick. Utter bullshit at the moment. The words on the screen could have been hieroglyphics, that’s how little they registered.
    “You need gas. I’ll head toward town and get some.”
    She sighed. Kind of hard to give him attitude when he insisted on being a nice guy. “Thanks.”
    Another glance came her way, this one with a gentler smile. “No problem.”
    *
    Curtis gave Sara the reprieve she obviously needed for the duration of the drive to town. Whatever her reasons, she seemed to want everybody, him included, to brand her as a bitch. Maybe she was—in part. But there was more to her than that. Had to be, for good people like Conn and Nia to hold her close in their daily lives. Then there was his gut. It told him to keep pushing, that if he dug deep enough, he’d find more than the hot woman with a giant attitude and a smart mouth. His gut had never failed him.
    He shook his head while pulling into the gas station. Why the hell was he thinking—or caring—about what made Sara tick? He’d agreed to keep an eye on her, make sure she didn’t jump the rails and ruin his brother’s wedding. That job didn’t require understanding her on a deeper level. A side effect of his job, always trying to figure people out. That’s where this interest in Sara had come from. Nothing more than that.
    He hadn’t even turned the ignition off before Sara removed her seat belt.
    “I’ll pump it,” she said, going for the door handle.
    He caught her arm and pulled her toward him. “Save your pumping for later.”
    She rolled her eyes, though clearly for effect. Her smile gave her away, whether she’d intended it to or not. “It’s my car. I can pump my own gas.”
    “Not while I’m around.” He hopped out, grabbed the doorframe and leaned back into the vehicle. “Unless you’re wearing short-shorts, high heels and a bikini top. Then I’m going to insist that you pump the gas. While I supervise, of course.”
    “Oh my god, dude. Cliché much?”
    “There’s a reason clichés exist, babe. They work.” He winked and left her smiling and laughing in the front seat. That’s how he wanted her. Well, one of the ways.
    He filled the Trans Am’s tank until it couldn’t hold one more drop, hung the nozzle on the pump and returned to the driver’s seat. “What?” he asked when Sara scowled across at him.
    “Did you fill it?”
    “Yeah.” He clicked his seat belt into place.
    “You should have asked my permission before you did that.”
    He leaned over the center console, invading her personal space and not giving a fuck. “I don’t ask permission. When you’re with me, you’re going to get filled up.”
    At close range, her eyes were even more incredible. Flecks of green speckled the amber irises, giving them what seemed like limitless depth. If he was going to spend hours staring into her eyes though, he’d prefer to do it while they were naked and in bed.
    “Here’s thirty,” she said, ignoring his comment. In the limited space between them, she poked him with what had to be some folded bills. “I’ll have to give you the rest tomorrow.”
    Since they were playing the ignoring game… “Your breath smells like mint.”
    “Congratulations on that brilliant observation.”
    Even close enough to make out, with the heat between them fogging the windows—in June—her attitude never fucking ended.
    “Here’s an