Something About Joe Read Online Free PDF Page B

feeling every second of it.”
    Thirty-two. She didn’t look it. But why
should he feel so dismayed she was older than he was?
    He was twenty-seven. Five years shouldn’t
make any difference but somehow it did. He’d only ever dated
younger women; had never thought beyond the traditional
man-older-than-the-woman thing. Of course she didn’t seem bothered
admitting her age to him. Why should she?
    Allison Bradley was gorgeous—if he’d met her
anywhere else he would have asked her on a date by now. But she was
older, had a kid, and was a client. That put her strictly off
limits.
    “I’ll get out of my work clothes,” she said.
“Then I’ll take over and you can go home.” She moved toward the
doorway and he had to turn side-on to let her through. Her breasts
brushed him as she pushed pass; his muscles tensed at her
touch.
    “ Fine,” he
said and averted his eyes from the sight of her enticing backside
as she left the bathroom. Do
not think about how she would look stripping out of her
suit. “Come on, Mitchell, let’s get
cracking.”
     
    A llison peeled off her “boss
lady” suit with relief, and slid gratefully into gym pants and a
sweatshirt. She thought unenthusiastically about the frozen diet
meals stacked in the freezer, and decided to pass on them. After
all, she’d had a three-course business lunch. She’d just nibble on
a choc-chip cookie for dinner. Stress always made her reach for
chocolate.
    As she hung
up her suit in the closet, she wondered why Joe Martin had asked
about her age. She knew from his résumé that he was twenty-seven.
Why would it matter to him how old she was?
    She’d been
tempted to tell him to mind his own business but it was no big
deal. Being thirty-two didn’t bother her; she was proud of what
she’d achieved at her age—and her crowning achievement was
Mitchell.
    As she
turned in the direction of the bathroom, Joe Martin came out of
Mitchell’s bedroom, holding her son dressed in his dinosaur-print
pajamas.
    Mitchell’s eyes were already heavy with
sleep. Allison chastised herself for her disappointment. She liked
it when Mitchell was wide-awake and she could justify keeping him
up beyond his bedtime. She knew it wasn’t going strictly by the
book—but some evenings she only saw Mitchell for half an hour and
she longed for more.
    “ I’ll take
over,” she said, as she reached for her son.
    But Mitchell resisted. “Want Joe,” he said,
clinging to his nanny.
    Allison felt a stab of fierce jealousy, but
she schooled her face into a nonchalant smile. “You have been a
hit,” she forced herself to say.
    The part of her not shriveling with angst
was telling her it was great Mitchell liked Joe so much.
    “ But
no one can replace Mommy,” Joe said. He
gently disengaged the child’s arms. This time Mitchell went
willingly to her and Allison held him to her too tightly, breathing
in the warm, soapy smell of him like a drug.
    “Thank you,” she whispered to Joe as their
eyes met above Mitchell’s head. Joe’s eyes were warm with
understanding and Allison’s heart gave a little lurch in
response.
    Joe Martin was kind, and kindness was an
attribute she admired in a man, but had very rarely encountered.
“Thank you,” she said again and her voice regained its strength,
“for looking after Mitchell today.”
    “ He’s a
great kid,” Joe said, and Allison felt he truly meant it. He
reached forward and ruffled Mitchell’s hair. His face was too
close. Allison stepped backward, in automatic defense of her
personal space. She wasn’t used to letting people, especially men,
get so close.
    “ There’s a
message from Help F rom Above for you,”
said Joe. “They’ve managed to find a nanny for Mitchell for
tomorrow. A female. But I guess you’ve probably organized someone
else yourself.”
    “No, I wasn’t able to.”
    Joe shrugged his powerful shoulders. His
face didn’t give away anything. “I know you don’t want a man. No
worries. The agency can