Kiss Me If You Can Read Online Free PDF Page A

would chase after a man just because he’s single and in possession of a ring…” Her voice trailed off and she grinned, obviously catching her description of herself.
    He laughed. “Relax, Lexie. We’ve already established you’re not interested in me,” he said, his voice gruffer than he’d intended.
    â€œSays who?” She took back the photo and stuffed it into her bag. “See you at eight.” With a brief wave, she turned and strode down the alley, giving him a chance to check out the rest of her lovely assets, encased in white jeans and a loose tank top as she walked away.
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    L EXIE RUSHED BACK to her grandmother’s apartment on the West Side and hurried to shower and change for her meeting with Sam Cooper.
    â€œSam Cooper.” She let the name roll off her tongue, smooth and easy, like Kahlua and cream, her favorite drink.
    She put her key in the door and entered the apartment. As usual, the smell of violets, her grandmother’s fragrance of choice, assaulted her senses.
    â€œGrandma? Are you home?” Lexie called out.
    No answer. She figured Charlotte was down the hall at Sylvia’s and headed for her bedroom, turning on lights as she walked through the apartment. Her grandmother preferred the dark, drawing closed the heavy draperies covering the old windows. Lexie flipped on a couple of lamps.
    In her room, she ransacked her closet, looking for something appropriate to wear for a business meeting that wasn’t a date, but was still with a man she wanted to impress. She wasn’t someone who accumulated a lot of stuff, so the items she owned were those she truly loved and needed. She’d never had to perfect the art of traveling light. It just came naturally to her. Making a fast perusal of her closet she chose a lightweight sundress and a pair of flowered thong sandals.
    Half an hour later, she’d showered, put on a touch of makeup and blow-dried her recently cut hair. She added a thin orange headband that matched her dress, spritzed her favorite perfume and was ready to go.
    Only the light butterflies in her stomach indicated that this evening suddenly meant more to her than a transaction in which she hoped to buy a ring.
    When she’d gone to meet Sam earlier, she hadn’tknown what to expect. Sure he’d been good looking on the news, but he’d also been shy about accepting a reward and a little gruff with the TV reporter. She hadn’t been prepared for his impact in person. Once he’d gotten past his wariness of her, he’d been downright charming.
    And he’d called her beautiful. Heat rose to her cheeks at the memory. Then there’d been his touch. His hands weren’t roughened from hard work, nor were they soft and manicured. In fact, his fingers felt just right as they’d wrapped around her hand and the jolt of awareness sizzled straight through to her toes, and other body parts she’d be better off not concentrating on too closely right now.
    She hadn’t heard any noise from the rest of the apartment and assumed her grandmother hadn’t yet come home. Apparently, she was going to get lucky and slip out without having to answer any questions about where she was going. She wanted to surprise her grandmother with the jewelry at the party and the fewer opportunities her grandmother had to be nosy, the better.
    She’d just leave the older a woman a note so she wouldn’t worry. Lexie picked up her purse, double-checked that she had the photo of her grandmother with the restaurant name and address on the back and headed into the tiny hallway and through the den area leading to the door.
    A catcall stopped her in her tracks and Lexie whirled around to see her grandmother sitting in the large club chair in the corner of the room.
    â€œWhere are you going dressed so pretty?” Charlotte asked.
    â€œYou scared me! I didn’t know you’d come home.” Lexie put her hand to