Skin Heat Read Online Free PDF Page A

cologne. It was an expensive blend of cedar, pine, and musk, mixed with lower notes, and she didn’t like it any better this time around. Like him, it was slick and polished, bought for the brand more than the scent.
    “You look tense.”
    Tension pinched at her temples, but she forced herself to offer a perfunctory smile as she swung around to face him. “Hi, Ben. How’ve you been?”
    “Missing you,” he said softly.
    Dating him had been the biggest single mistake of her life. Her parents had been so distraught after . . . well, she didn’t want to think about Luke. She had wanted to comfort them, and Ben had a reassuring way about him. In those early, awful days, he consoled her parents in a way she never could, always calm and capable, always wearing that gentle half smile. They’d coasted along while they were all numb with grief, and then one day, she’d woken up to realize he quietly ran all their lives.
    Neva didn’t like being managed. He’d laughed at her complaints and that was the last straw. The resulting argument ended in her moving to her own place and out of Harper Court for good. It hadn’t been that long ago, either, so she came to functions like these grudgingly, and for appearance’s sake. Not that she cared.
    Her mother did. And if Lillian got too upset, she made life miserable for Neva’s dad. He’d then visit it on her. So most times it was worth it to put in a few polite hours in the interest of keeping the peace. And honestly, she didn’t want to upset either of them. Despite their disagreements, she loved them.
    “I doubt that, somehow.” Her smile became fixed as a politician stopped to shake her hand. “Nice to see you again, Congressman. Will y’all be doing some hunting while you’re here?”
    “You know it. Your daddy has some of the best woods around.”
    “So I hear.” And it was an old argument, one she wouldn’t go into again.
    They made small talk while servers circulated with trays of canapés and flutes of wine. Music tinkled from the baby grand piano and the lights sparkled through the polished teardrop chandelier overhead. Neva found no charm in any of it. Only Luke had made this place feel like a home, and with him gone, she couldn’t bear being here. Hard to say how her parents stood it. But then, they had each other, and whatever their faults, she had never doubted their devotion. Unlike most of her friends, her parents had a solid marriage, which meant they always offered a unified front in any argument with her. She found that frustrating.
    Eventually, the congressman excused himself and went off to greet his constituents and drink a little more wine. From his rosy flush, Neva guessed he’d already had plenty, but he was a good old boy with a hollow leg. He probably went around half sloshed as a matter of course.
    Unfortunately that left her with Ben. She’d thought him handsome enough once. He had the look of a Ken doll come to life, but Ben was anatomically correct, at least so far as she knew. They’d never gotten that far. He’d said he didn’t want to press her, which sounded like he was doing the right thing and being a gentleman, but at the bottom of it, she hadn’t trusted his control. It made her feel like he was just going through the motions, using her to further his connection with her father.
    “Can we talk?”
    “We are talking.”
    From across the room, Lillian noted Ben at her side and gave an approving smile. She’d never stopped hinting that it wasn’t too late—Neva could still atone for her misdeeds and marry that fine young man. She could sell her vet practice and come back to the fold, no harm done. That was the last thing she wanted. Her life might not be glamorous, but she’d built it on her own sweat, and it wasn’t hollowed out with loss of Luke. Work filled her hours, not grief. That was how it had to be.
    “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” He took her elbow. Ostensibly it seemed a courtly gesture, but