Lead Me On Read Online Free PDF

pushed through the mingling crowd and stopped next to her table. “Hey, Jane.”
    “Oh!” she yelped, slipping on her glasses before she pushed awkwardly to her feet. “Hello.”
    “I’m really glad you called.”
    “I…just…I had your card.” Her hands gestured helplessly, so Chase waved her back to her chair.
    He glanced down to her glass of water. “Can I get you a drink?”
    “Um…sure.”
    Chase caught a waitress’s eye, and the woman sauntered over with a grin that faded when he tilted his head toward Jane. She ordered a martini and looked surprised at his request for a Coke.
    “Aren’t you going to have something?”
    “No, I don’t drink.”
    Her eyes flew wide behind the glasses. “Oh! I’m sorry. I’ll cancel mine, then, and—”
    “Hey, it’s no big deal.”
    She shook her head. “I don’t want to be disrespectful or—”
    “It’s no problem. I’m not an alcoholic, so you don’t have to worry that you’ll push me off the wagon. My dad’s a big drinker, and I thought it’d be better if I never started down that road.”
    Jane looked doubtfully down at her water.
    “Seriously!” He laughed. “You know I work in construction, right? I guarantee my friends can throw back a hell of a lot more alcohol than you can. So drink up.”
    Her drink arrived as if on cue. “Well…” She picked up her martini with a bemused smile. “All right. Cheers, then.” Still, she took only a tiny sip.
    “So why did you call? Not that I’m objecting.” When a blush climbed her face at his words, Chase grinned. A blush was good. Very good. The modest Miss Jane did like him, despite her earlier words. There was something about her that made him want to…mess her up a little. He’d never been interested in a woman like her before, but for some reason her coolness fascinated him. And this new nervousness pushed heat through his skin. She’d probably never even been alone with a guy like Chase.
    Jane took another sip of her drink and swallowed hard. Her pearl earrings glinted softly, as if warning him of her modesty. “It’s my birthday. On Sunday, I mean.”
    “Oh, happy birthday.”
    “Thanks. So I just thought, um…Well.”
    Chase blinked at the sudden blush in her cheeks. “What? You thought I’d make a good birthday present? ”
    “No!” she cried. “Of course not! That would be…No, I just thought I’d…celebrate.”
    But that hot red burn belied her words. He’d been half joking, but now…
    Jesus Christ, was he supposed to be the present she gave herself for her birthday? Chase wasn’t sure how he felt about that.
    No, wait. He was sure after all. It felt pretty damn fine with him.
    Jane finished her drink in one gulp.
    “So,” he ventured, suddenly unsure what to say. All he could think about was the fact that Jane really was looking for a good time, and that good time apparently involved him. Still, she couldn’t possibly mean to be so forward. Maybe she thought they’d hang out tonight and go on another date on Sunday.
    Chase cleared his throat. “How’s work going?”
    “Fine. How’s the business of blowing things up?”
    He grinned. “Pretty damn fun. Not that I get to blow things up very often, but when I do, it’s a rush. You wanna see a blast sometime? Maybe next week?”
    “Oh.” Her soft mouth made a lovely little O. He noticed how perfect her skin was and wondered what it would feel like if he dragged his fingers across her cheek. Though her eyes had brightened with interest, she shook her head. “I can’t.”
    “Think about it. I’ll call you next week.”
    He ignored the way she frowned. She might be shy, but she’d called him. She was interested.
    “Chase, I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but…”
    “Shit, did I screw up already?”
    “No, I just want to be clear about something.” Jane sat up a little straighter, though he wouldn’t have thought that was possible. She always looked stiff. This girl needed some serious