Son of the Enemy Read Online Free PDF Page A

intensity of his disappointment surprised him.
    “You may as well stop flirting with me.” She didn’t meet his eyes. “It won’t get you anywhere.”
    “Wouldn’t dream of it,” he said.

Chapter Three
    Hannah was sipping wine by the fire when she heard the footsteps on the porch. The clock over the mantle said seven forty. Which one of the teachers would be working this late on a Friday night?
    Damn it. She loved the people she worked with, but she just wasn’t in the mood to solve their problems right now. It had been a long week and she hadn’t been sleeping well. All she wanted to do was have dinner, take a long bath and crash early. She stood slowly, realized she already had a buzz on, and concentrated on walking a straight line to the door.
    “Oh,” she said, when she opened it. “I didn’t hear your motorcycle.”
    “I walked it up the driveway.” John’s hands were tucked inside the pockets of his bomber jacket, and his breath was turning to steam in the cold, damp air. “I know I should have called first, but I really wanted to see you.”
    Hannah was so shocked it took a moment for her brain to flip into gear . “Why?”
    “We got off on the wrong foot, and I want to change that.”
    She stared at him, unsure how she felt about him being there. “Come on in,” she heard herself say.
    He filled the small entryway, bringing with him the scent of leather and peppermint. She hadn’t realized how tall he was. He pushed the door closed behind him, glanced at her wineglass and smiled. “One of my favorite ways to relax too.”
    Well, she had already let him in, she couldn’t very well leave him standing there with nothing to drink, not when he was being so conciliatory. “Um…would you like some wine or a beer?”
    “A beer sounds great.” He sniffed. “Something smells good.”
    “I’m reheating some chili.” She led him into the kitchen. What was the harm in feeding him while she was at it? “There’s plenty if you’re daring.”
    “Well, if it tastes as good it smells… Oh, wow, corn bread.”
    Hannah couldn’t help but smile at his reaction. “Beer’s in the fridge. Help yourself.”
    He shrugged out of his jacket and laid it over a wooden chair. His hiking boots alone took up most of the space between his chair and the door to the living room.
    “God, you have big feet,” she blurted.
    He waggled his eyebrows playfully. “You know what they say.”
    She rolled her eyes. John grabbed himself a beer as she ladled the chili into thick crockery bowls and topped them with sharp cheddar cheese and raw onions. “There’s extra chili peppers in it, so be prepared.”
    “Mm, just how I like it. How’d you know?”
    She sat across from him at the small table. “I didn’t figure you for having a delicate palate.”
    He smiled. “Got that right.”
    His legs were so long their knees touched under the table. Hannah knew that if she were completely sober the contact would make her acutely uncomfortable. But she wasn’t, so it didn’t. His hands were large, and she couldn’t take her eyes off them as he buttered his cornbread, dug a spoon into his bowl and lifted it to his mouth. Then he grinned, and she knew he’d been watching her watch him. She hid her embarrassment behind a swallow of wine.
    “So,” he said after he’d gobbled down half his chili and drained most of his beer. “Did you figure out who left the roses?”
    She paused with her spoon halfway to her mouth. “Not yet.” She didn’t want to think about the roses right now. Or the notes. “But that’s not why you came here to see me.”
    “No. But you were freaked out about getting them, and I’ve been wondering why.”
    “I overreacted.”
    “Who do you think sent them?”
    “I have no idea.” She watched him lift the beer bottle to his lips and swallow the dregs. “Go get another beer if you like.”
    “Hey, thanks,” he said, and his smile was so engaging, she told him to get more chili too. He