Jacked Up Read Online Free PDF Page A

dressed in a way he never could have imagined, but definitely appreciated. In the few years he’d been around the track, he had only ever seen Eve wearing business outfits—suits, blouses, fancy shoes. For some reason, he had kind of thought she’d be wearing a more casual version of uptight. But she was dressed in jeans and running shoes, with a hooded sweatshirt that was practically swallowing her.
    She looked more approachable this way. Huggable.
    “This place was impossible to find,” she said by way of greeting. “Whoever is on their PR team needs to put better signage off the interstate.”
    Yeah, she wasn’t wearing a suit, but she might as well be. She was scanning the ticket booth. “They’re going to lose their major sponsors for next year’s event if they don’t do a better job of pimping out the festival.”
    Nolan shook his head, amused. “We found it. That’s all you need to be concerned about.”
    She frowned. “It was just an observation, not a concern.”
    “It was you coming to the fair in work mode, and that’s no good. You need to shut that off now and again.”
    “You don’t know anything about what I need.”
    He knew he’d irritated her, but hell, it needed to be pointed out. She was a workaholic. But he wasn’t about to let her stomp off angry with him. He intended to have fun. “I know you need a bratwurst.”
    “Excuse me?”
    Now she just looked outraged and Nolan thought she was adorable. He was going to have trouble resisting the urge to kiss her because she had just about the best lips he’d ever seen. They were plump and pink and shiny. Eve didn’t wear a lot of makeup and he liked that.
    Mostly what she wore were expressions of annoyance.
    “You know, like a hot dog. Dinner. With a beer. It’s Oktoberfest.”
    The look she gave him was suspicious, like she was trying to find the loophole in what he was saying, the trick. “I want a funnel cake,” she said with great dignity, her hands in the pockets of her sweatshirt.
    “Well, let’s go then.”
    When they approached the ticket booth, he said, “Two please.”
    And Eve corrected him. “Just one. I’m paying for my own.”
    He turned from the ticket clerk to Eve. “Why? I invited you. It’s my treat.”
    “But then I’m indebted to you.” She was pulling her wallet out of her bag, which was across her body like a satchel.
    “For a five-dollar ticket? That doesn’t make any sense. It’s not like I offered you a kidney.”
    “But then we have to do everything your way and on your schedule.”
    Nolan went ahead and paid for the two tickets. “Two,” he told the clerk firmly. Then he told Eve, “You don’t have a very high opinion of me. I think I would appreciate it if you got to know me a little bit before you put that kind of attitude on me.” He wasn’t annoyed. He just found it a little sad that such a small gesture had her back up. He thought maybe she thought too much.
    That seemed to stymie her. She just shoved her wallet back into her bag and said, “Thanks. And it wasn’t personal. It’s just I know people. All I do is deal with people.”
    “Doesn’t everybody?” he asked mildly, handing her a ticket.
    She made a face at him. She made a lot of faces. Clearly he was going through some kind of phase because for some reason he thought the expressions she pulled were adorable.
    It wasn’t like he didn’t date. He did. He’d been doing an online dating service and he’d had a handful of women he’d met over the last year, one lasting several months before petering out. Yet none had given him that feeling he was looking for. That kicked in the gut intensity. That wanting to grin every split second he was with a woman.
    Not that he expected that would be the outcome of any time spent with Eve, but she did amuse him. It made no sense, but she did.
    “If I had my way, I’d live on my own private island.” Eve handed her ticket to the gate clerk and pushed through the turnstile. “Just