Rules of Engagement Read Online Free PDF

good distance in front of them and, within mere minutes, her sporty Honda CR-V. Jake drew alongside the blue vehicle and killed the engine.
     
    “Those cutesy vehicles aren’t made for off-roading,” he remarked.
     
    “I know,” Katarzyna easily admitted. “But I don’t go anywhere where the road isn’t paved.”
     
    He looked at her, then shook his head and exited the 4Runner. It took him a few minutes to siphon gas from his vehicle’s gas tank to hers. He tested her car before letting her get behind the wheel then she followed him back to the cabin. The drive wasn’t long enough for her to mull over anything more significant than the fact that she felt wide awake. More alive, even. Maybe it was the mountain air. Ella had said it would do wonders for her. Katarzyna mentally snorted. At a minimum, she should be honest with herself. It was the mountain air and recent shower and sex and the anticipation of being with Jake Duquesne again.
     
    She just had to remember to keep things between them physical. Once, after one too many Black Russians, Ella had mentioned her cousin, and the fact that Jake’s lifestyle didn’t allow for lasting attachments. Which was perfect for her. Obviously with three failed engagements, she and lasting attachments didn’t go together either.
     
    Jake waited at the front door for her. When she popped open the tailgate of the CR-V, he came over and hefted the suitcase inside for her. Her stomach grumbled as she walked by him, so after stashing the suitcase in the bedroom they ended up in the surprisingly well-appointed and well-stocked kitchen. It was close enough to sunrise that he prepared eggs scrambled with bits of green onion and ham, as well as crispy bacon and whole-wheat toast. She set the tiny round table that seated four and poured the orange juice. Neither of them needed caffeine to stay awake.
     
    “Talk,” he said when she had finished the last bite of toast sparingly smeared with blueberry jam. “Why did Ella send you here?”
     
    “Same reason as you. Vacation.”
     
    He looked doubtful. “She mentioned you want to cut yourself off from civilization and that you’ve sworn off relationships with men or some such nonsense.”
     
    It was Katarzyna’s turn to look doubtful. She’d bet that Jake Duquesne could recite his conversation with his cousin word for word if need be.
     
    He lifted a brow. Katarzyna lifted a shoulder in a shrug. When his expression didn’t alter, she took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I’m supposed to be on my honeymoon right now. I was jilted.”
     
    “Is he deaf, dumb and blind?”
     
    Her spirits lifted a bit, then she replied, “No, Marcus is gay, but he was in denial for a long time.” Her lips pursed. “A long, long time. He came out of the closet—and promptly ran off with the best man on the morning of the wedding. That would’ve been two days ago.”
     
    “Ouch.”
     
    “I should’ve known it wasn’t going to work out when I tried to seduce him and he nearly jumped out the window to get away from me. But I just thought my brothers had gotten to him too well.”
     
    A corner of his lips twitched and she narrowed her gaze warningly. After a moment, she sighed. “I suppose in time I’ll find it amusing too.” Then she added dryly, “Like another decade or so. That’s how long it’ll take the cops I work with to run out of jokes.”
     
    “One error in judgment and you’ve sworn off men.”
     
    She could feel the heat crawling up her cheeks. “Make that three errors in judgment.”
     
    “ What ?” He didn’t look so amused anymore.
     
    She shrugged again. “I was nineteen when I first got engaged to my high school sweetheart. A week before the wedding, Ryan decided he was too young to settle down, so he took off on a walkabout with an Australian girl he met while he and his buddies were in Fort Lauderdale during spring break. My brothers never liked him, but I thought that was in his