Simply Irresistible Read Online Free PDF Page B

you solve it with, say, a diplomatic coin toss?”
    “Probably not,” he admitted. “Loudest usually wins. A well-placed punch is always a bonus.”
    When she narrowed her eyes in blatant disbelief, he smiled again. “See, you’re catching on to me already.”
    “Actually,” she murmured, “it’s not a bad idea. But I’d lose a fight against my oldest sister. Tara’s got some
serious
pent-up-aggression issues.” She considered her beer for a minute, her fingers stroking up and down over the condensation,
     drawing Jax’s full attention.
    “Probably I could take Chloe on account of her asthma,” she said. “But that’d be mean. Plus I’m out of shape, so…”
    At that, he gave her a slow once-over, fully appreciating her real curves, and shook his head. “Not from where I’m sitting.”
    She blinked. Compliments obviously flustered her, which only stirred his curiosity all the more. “You could challenge your
     sisters to a street race in your Honda,” he said. “My money’s on you.”
    She choked out a little laugh, set down her beer, and pointed at the opened puzzle book. “Four.”
    “Excuse me?”
    “Four goes there. And six goes there.” Leaning in, she took his pencil and filled in the two spots while he found his mouth
     so close to her ear he could have taken a nibble. Instead, he inhaled her scent. Soft. Subtle.
Nice.
    She cocked her head sideways, concentrating, and he just breathed her in. Which was how she filled in the rest of the puzzle
     before he realized it. “Damn.”
    “Don’t be impressed,” she said. “I’ve got a little compulsive problem. I can’t stand to leave anything unfinished.” She hopped
     off the barstool. “Unfortunately, they don’t have a twelve-step program for such things.”
    “Ford’s going to owe you,” he said, snagging her wrist to halt her getaway.
    “You could have done it if you’d worn your glasses.” She pulled free. “It was only a moderately hard one. Oh and FYI? Women
     think glasses are a sign of brains, and also, they’re sexy.”
    Cocking his head, he took in the slight flush to her cheeks, the humor in her gaze, and felt something stir within him. She
     might be struggling with some demons, but she was sweet and sharp as hell and a breath of fresh air. “Are you flirting with
     me?”
    “No. The porn thing was a dealbreaker.”
    That made him laugh, and even better, so did she, and something flickered between them.
    Chemistry.
    A shocking amount of it. Clearly she felt it, too, because suddenly she was a flurry of movement, pulling some cash from the
     depths of her pockets, setting it on the bar for Ford, and turning for the door like she had a fire on her ass.
    “Maddie.”
    She turned back, looking a little frenzied again, a little panicked, much as she had when he’d first seen her across the expanse
     of highway. He wondered why.
    “I have to go,” she said.
    “Puzzles to solve?”
    “Something like that.”
    “It’s not really a puzzle-solving night,” he said, slipping her money back into her front jeans pocket, his knuckles grazing
     her midriff. She went stock-still while he pulled his own money out to cover the drinks. “It’s more of a make-new-friends
     night,” he said. “And Ford’sputting out peanuts. We can throw them at him. He hates that.”
    She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, emotion flickered there. “I’d really like that, but tonight I have to
     have that fight with my sisters.”
    She was clearly vulnerable as hell, and he needed to get away from her before he took advantage of that. But then her bright
     blue gaze dropped and homed in on his mouth, and all his good intentions flew out the window.
    “I’m working on a new beginning here,” she said.
    “New beginnings are good.”
    “Yeah.” Her tongue came out and dampened her lips, an unconscious gesture that said maybe she was thinking of his mouth on
     hers. Seemed fitting. He’d been thinking about her mouth