Secrets of a Summer Night (Stone Gap Mountain) Read Online Free PDF Page A

Rand’s. The radio was so annoying Laney turned it off but immediately wished she hadn’t because it made her more aware of the silence and her jumbled thoughts.  
    The streets heading out of town were relatively empty, with only a handful of cars at the red lights and a few small groups of college kids walking to and from Zailer University.
    As she drove out to Rand’s house, she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to live there herself. Like a girl playing pretend, she pictured herself as hostess to his parties, the lady of the beautiful house nestled along the lake.
    She turned up his driveway, loving the age-old feel of the tree-lined drive, the way the four white columns rose into the air like soldiers standing guard.  
    The night sounds surrounded her as she got out and made her way up the porch steps. She sat in one of the big, black rockers lining the front when Rand pulled to a stop near her Jeep and got out, his expression still dark and broody from their earlier conversation.
    Beneath the light of the moon, she was able to make out his masculine stride and broad shoulders. He looked tough and strong, and all she could think about was how much she wanted to be with him regardless of their age difference or the impact it would have on both their relationships with her father.  
    “What happened?” he asked, stopping in front of her long enough to tug her out of the seat and into the house behind him once he’d unlocked the door. “What sent you running out of the bar tonight?”
    She inhaled and sighed. How easily he could read her. “Am I a bitch?” she asked, surprising herself by the bluntness of the question.  
    “Why are you asking that?”  
    He shut and locked the door behind them with a decisive click, one that sent electricity racing through her raw nerves. “Because I’d have to be, wouldn’t I? For being even remotely upset that my little sister lucked into a job paying more than I make?” she said, turning to drop her purse onto the entry table. “Everything has turned out better for her than it was before the fire.”
    “It’s not better for you?”  
    Oh, that was the real question, wasn’t it?  
    She could hear the tension in Rand’s tone as he voiced the query, and when she turned, she saw that he waited for her answer, hands fisted.
    In some ways, yes, better for her. But did he feel the same way? And if he did, why not say it? In the time since that first encounter on her blow-up mattress, he hadn’t said a word to her about why he was with her. Nothing. It was very old-school alpha male, and she wasn’t sure she liked not knowing what he was thinking or his high-handedness in demanding she be the one to decide and speak first when it came to owning up to their secret relationship. “You know what, forget it. I’m leaving.”
    Rand grabbed her arm as she moved by him, not hurting her but not letting go either. Her heart skidded out of control, and heat pooled low in her belly. All from his touch and that look in his eyes.
    Okay, so maybe she liked the alpha-male thing a little.
    “I’m not sure why you’re upset, but you shouldn’t be driving like this.”
    “Oh, so you do care if something happens to me?”
    His eyes glittered in the dim light of the foyer. He let go of her arm but stepped toward her, matching her step by step as she backed up, all the way until her shoulder blades hit the door.
    “You know I do. And if I didn’t know better,” he said, lowering his head until his breath hit her mouth, “I’d say you were trying to pick a fight with me. But you’re smart enough to know to ask for whatever it is you want from me, right?”
    Laney closed her eyes and leaned her head against the door. She had to ask for what she wanted, demand it. But would he give it to her? “I want... you.”
    “Honey, you have me.”
    The way he said it made it seem very real. If only it was true. “No, I mean… As crazy as it sounds, I’m falling in love