Tempting Fate (The Blake Boys Book 9) Read Online Free PDF

look forward to it.”
    It was finally her turn at the counter, and she gave the barista her herbal tea order as well as an order for the coffee concoction she remembered Channing drank in school. She reached into her purse for her wallet to pay, but Channing had already beaten her to the punch and gotten his change. His cell phone pinged a few times, but he ignored it, and she felt like an idiot for checking that text message earlier. She remembered how polite and charming he was, even when they were at each other’s throats. He’d say something infuriating one minute, but would rush to open the door for her the next. It was the simple things he did that she missed. It could have been a southern thing, but he was always attentive, respectful, and could anticipate her moods like no one else. A few minutes later, Channing held the door for her as the exited the coffee shop.
    “So, you’re really coming to the party?” Channing gave her a skeptical look. “You’re not going disappear on me again, are you?”
    “I said I was, didn’t I?” She laughed.
    “Good. We have a lot to talk about.” He kissed her on the cheek again and walked away.
    She watched him as he made his way down the street. That man knew how to wear a pair of jeans. Cassidy shook her head, coming to her senses. Ogling Channing Blake’s ass wasn’t going to help her get ready for the party any faster.
     
    * * *
     
    Channing thought he was hallucinating when he saw her in line at the coffee shop. None of their mutual friends had seen her in a while and didn’t know if she was going to the engagement party. The moment he saw her he got as hard as a teenager seeing his first pin-up poster. Dressed in sweats and a baseball cap, she was just as beautiful the day he met her. There was something about her that sent him into an involuntary trance every time he was near her. She was as pretty as he remembered.
    He was never very fussy about getting ready for an evening out but wanted to look his best for the party tonight. Seeing Cassidy at the coffee shop was like a fantasy come true. If he’d known that all he had to do was come back to DC and grab a coffee, he would have come back months ago. He walked back to his apartment delighted that he was going to see her again.
    Sure she was going with Mark Davidson, he remembered them being good friends in school. But Mark didn’t seem like her type. They had more of a brother-sister vibe when they were together, so he was confident Mark wouldn’t be a problem. And if he was, then for every problem there was always a solution. He was almost home when he stopped in front of an art gallery. Cassidy loved the art world. The day they spent gallery hopping was one of the most fun days he’d had in DC.
    A woman standing near the desk waved to him, and he waved back. She came out and handed him a fancy embossed invitation to an opening next month for an up-and-coming artist.
    There wasn’t much to do when he arrived at his brownstone. He’d called Regency, and they had someone ready the place for him. There was food in the fridge if he wanted to cook. He didn’t worry about it going to waste; he knew Tyler would be in the Maryland area next week for a race and would be staying there with Michelle.
    He jumped in the shower, and the soothing pulse of the water felt great on his skin. He lathered up his body and scrubbed himself clean, fighting back the temptation to relieve himself of the tension coursing through his body since seeing Cassidy at the coffee shop.
    He styled his hair and dabbed on some aftershave, remembering what his brothers told him when he got ready for his first date. Cologne was meant to entice, not repel. He wanted a woman’s opinion on his clothes, so he dialed up his sisters-in-law. It was no surprise Morgan and Michelle were together when he called Morgan’s cell phone.
    “Ladies, what do you think?” He hit the video chat feature on the phone and propped it up on the dresser in his