Queen of His Heart Read Online Free PDF Page A

and gave his best friend an awkward pat on the head. “You’ve been good, boy?”
    Woof! Chips pivoted in a quick circle and sat back on his haunches in hopes of a quick rub behind the ears. Of course, he got his wish.
    In the kitchen, Keenan dumped the DVDs on the kitchen counter, stashed the beer in the refrigeratorand poured some dog food into Chips’s bowl. Without preamble, Chips attacked the food like he hadn’t eaten in a week. A few times, he sounded as if he was choking.
    â€œSlow down,” Keenan warned with a stern frown. “The food isn’t going anywhere.”
    Chips ignored him.
    â€œFine. Suit yourself.” Keenan stood and washed his hands at the sink before looking into the fridge to see what Jenny, his personal chef, had prepared for him for dinner. He was in luck: fried chicken, whipped potatoes and green beans. The first time Jenny had made him fried chicken, he’d thought he’d died and gone to heaven. The old wives’ tale was true when it came to him. The fastest way to his heart was through his stomach.
    Before he kicked back and did his “research,” Keenan washed away the day’s stress with a scorching-hot shower. He had been teased before about how he could stand such hot water, but he found it soothing.
    When he shut off the water, thick clouds of steam rose out of the shower stall as he exited. In the distance, he could just barely hear the phone ringing in the bedroom. He rushed out of the bathroom, wrapping his bath towel around his hips.
    â€œHello?”
    â€œWell, if it isn’t the world’s most elusive Hollywood producer.”
    Keenan smiled. “Keisha, I’ve been meaning to call.”
    â€œAnd I still believe in Santa Claus.”
    â€œYou never believed in Santa Claus,” he reminded her as he headed back to the bathroom for his robe.
    â€œNo thanks to you.” She chuckled. “When I was little you told me that someone shot Santa because they thought he was a burglar coming into the house.”
    Keenan rocked back, laughing at the memory. “Oh, God. I can’t believe you fell for that.”
    â€œI was five…and foolishly looked up to my big brother.”
    He refused to feel guilty. “I remember you running into Mom and Dad’s room, yelling for them to call the police.”
    â€œI was hysterical, you jerk.”
    â€œYou were adorable.” His laugh deepened.
    â€œI swear. Sometimes I don’t know why I bother calling you.”
    â€œC’mon, you know you love me,” he coaxed.
    â€œYou’ll do.” Keisha sighed.
    â€œSo what are you doing calling me on a Friday night?” He glanced around for a clock. “Shouldn’t you be out on a hot date or something?”
    Keisha clucked her tongue. “Please. I’m giving up on men.”
    â€œYou decided to come out of the closet over the phone?” Keenan laughed and shook his head. “Tacky. And you can forget about me telling Mom and Dad. You’ll have to do that on your own.”
    â€œYou’re not funny,” Keisha deadpanned. “And I’m not coming out of a closet. I’m just not having any luck finding a man that’s worth my time. Most of these knuckleheads out here either wanna turn me into their mommas or their checkbook, and I ain’t havin’ it.”
    Keenan rolled his eyes as he pulled on a pair ofblack silk pajamas and headed back downstairs. “Is this going to be another man-bashing phone call? You do realize that I’m the so-called enemy?”
    â€œThen you need to get your team to act right,” she sassed.
    Keenan had no trouble picturing his sister rolling her eyes and swiveling her neck, which she was prone to do whenever she got pissed off. Still he couldn’t resist goading her. “Have you ever considered that maybe your team is the problem?”
    Her voice jumped an octave. “Do what?”
    He snatched the