Opposites Distract Read Online Free PDF Page B

time, they each cradled a mug of hot chocolate to warm their hands.
    Brody raised an eyebrow at her. “We had a dog when we were little. It was our job to take care of it.”
    â€œHow your mom instilled so much responsibility in you, I have no idea.” Harmony’s parents preached a lot of virtues, gave lots of lectures, but most of them didn’t take. Of course, her parents weren’t that responsible themselves, so maybe that made a difference.
    Ian looked outside the windows to where they’d rescued the duck. “Lady fell into the weedy side of our pond once and got tangled up. We had a hell of a time pulling her out of there.”
    Brody and he locked gazes. “We almost lost her,” Brody said. And the memory still bothered him, Harmony could tell. Maybe she’d judged him wrong. Maybe he wasn’t the Authoritarian. Maybe he was Mr. Responsible. For Everyone. No one could describe her that way. She was Miss Disappear.
    Brody frowned at her. “I’m thinking you don’t get that attached to your pigeons.”
    She could feel a blush climb to her cheeks. She shrugged.
    He leaned forward, surprised. “You do, don’t you?”
    She’d never told anyone. Her friends would have a good laugh at her expense. “You know how pigeons are. They bob around the sidewalks, begging for scraps all day. One got scared and flew in front of a car. When the car kept going, I could see him on the street, dragging his left wing and walking funny. I went down and caught him and took him to a vet.”
    Paula was staring at her. “A pigeon?”
    â€œHe was my pigeon,” Harmony clarified.
    â€œAnd?” Brody prodded.
    She grimaced. “The vet said his wing wouldn’t get better, his leg was gone. He’d never walk or fly, probably wouldn’t last the week. So I paid to have him put to sleep.”
    Paula gaped, but Brody gave an approving nod. “Cecily never understood about pets, but nothing should suffer if there’s a way to avoid it.”
    Oh, boy, Harmony hadn’t thought about that pigeon for a long time. The vet had given her the same look Paula had. In the city, pigeon lovers were scarce, but she’d fed that damned bird every day for over a year. He trusted her. She shook her head. Not that many people would understand. She finally looked at the clock. “Oh, lord, I’ve lost a lot of writing time. Gotta go. I want to get more pages done before the kids come up.” How many had she written this morning? Six. She had nine more to go.
    â€œI could tell them to forget it tonight,” Paula said. “You can put it off another day.”
    She was tempted, but shook her head. “No, I promised them. Send them up. I have a few hours, and I know what the next scene is. It’s all there. I’ll get enough done.” Maybe. Hopefully. Harmony gave a quick wave and started up the stairs. She went straight to her computer, and the words flowed.
    Luxar told Serifina, in no uncertain terms, that she wasn’t leaving his house. Serifina started for the door, and Luxar—with his vampire speed—was standing before it, blocking her way. He laughed and said, “Let me show you to your room.” She raised her palms and blasted him out of her way. Luxar rubbed his chest. Not so funny now. He raised a dark eyebrow—just like Brody liked to do. Hmm, Harmony paused, her fingers over the keys. Did she have Serifina blast Luxar because it made her feel good? If she had magic, would she zap the smug look off Brody’s face? She shook her head. Nope, the zap worked for the story.
    Luxar finally explained that he was only trying to help Serifina. She had no idea how powerful Torrid was and how evil. Their enemy had lots of friends in low places. She could use an ally. Serifina listened to him and realized it would be a major battle to leave Luxar’s mansion. She’d pretend to agree with him, and then