Summer Heat Read Online Free PDF Page A

ranch all but blazed a welcome sign out front. A full
porch running the width of the house was adorned with hanging plants, their
colorful blooms draped almost to the white wood floor.
    Aidan skidded the
Corvette to a stop in front of the house and jumped out, running around to open
her door. She smoothed her dress after she stood and inhaled deeply, nervous
butterflies ramming against the walls of her stomach. Really, this was still a
business dinner, no matter who they were having dinner with. This was simply
southern hospitality and nothing more.
    The butterflies
continued to ram, ignoring her attempts at self-calming.
    “Come on,” he said,
holding his hand out to her.
    Why was she nervous?
She was a marketing executive, for heaven’s sake, and had stepped into the
lions’ den on more than one occasion. If she could handle a boardroom full of
fire breathing CEOs, she could certainly deal with a simple dinner with Aidan’s
family.
    Nevertheless, she instinctively
slid her hand in his and allowed him to lead her inside.
    The spicy aroma of
Cajun cooking permeated the front room of the house, and as Aidan pulled her
along she heard music and raised voices. Ignoring her pounding heart, she
planted her most professional smile on her face.
    “We’re here!” Aidan
yelled in his booming voice, dragging her down the hallway into a huge kitchen
filled with people.
    She quickly counted the
people and came up with four, who all stopped and turned to her.
    At least they were
smiling. She swallowed.
    “So, this is Melissa
Cross.” A petite, dark-haired woman who she assumed was Aidan’s mother wiped
her hands on her apron as she approached. Enveloping her in a warm hug, she
added, “Welcome to our home. I’m Angelina Storm.”
    “Thank you,” Melissa
replied, taken aback by the woman’s friendly nature. Maybe she was wrong. This
couldn’t be Aidan’s mother. She hardly looked a day over thirty-five.
    “A right pretty little
thing she is, too.” A tall, very burly looking man stepped up and hugged her
quickly. His cheeks were ruddy and his smile genuine.
    “Melissa, this is my
father, Galen,” Aidan said, then threw his arms around his father and got a
bear hug of his own.
    “You don’t come around
for dinner enough,” his mother said, grabbing Aidan’s chin and planting a kiss
on his cheek.
    “Sorry, Mom,” Aidan
replied, snatching a shrimp from a huge plate on the center island in the
kitchen and popping it into his mouth.
    “Hi, Melissa!” A sultry
looking woman with long, raven-colored hair embraced her in the same way, then
pulled back and smiled. “I’m Kaitlyn, the  baby of the Storm family.”
    Kaitlyn certainly
didn’t look like a baby. Full, lush curves identified her as clearly grown.
Melissa estimated Kaitlyn to be around her own age. She had a refreshing warmth
about her that Melissa liked immediately.
    Another woman turned
from the stove. This one was much taller than Kaitlyn, her hair more a sable
color. She also wore a more serious expression than her sister, but still she
smiled and held out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Melissa. I’m Shannon.”
    Grateful to have a
marketing background and used to meeting several people at once, Melissa made
mental notes of who all the Storms were so she wouldn’t confuse names.
    “Where’s Logan?” Aidan
asked his mother, pulling his hand quickly away from the shrimp bowl at her
don’t-touch-that glare.
    “That’s for dinner. Not
for your snack. And your brother is late. Still working.”
    “Old news there,”
Kaitlyn said with a sigh. “He works entirely too many hours. Life is to be
enjoyed, not spent huddled up staring at four walls.”
    “Your brother must find
his own destiny, in his own time,  ma belle fille ,” Angelina said,
patting Kaitlyn on the cheek.
    Aidan handed Melissa a
glass of tea and rolled his eyes at her, then whispered in her ear. “Ignore the
destiny talk. It’s my mother’s favorite subject.”
    But a chill had