The Bride's Curse Read Online Free PDF Page B

morning. I’m Kelly Andrews. Can I help you find what you’re looking for?”
    He turned and gave her a friendly smile. Kelly was momentarily dazzled. This guy was hot. Older than she first thought, probably thirty or so, with blond hair and the kind of tan you only get from working outdoors. Briefly she wondered if he’d been in the military like herself, but nothing else about him suggested military work.
    His eyes widened as looked her up and down and he gave a low appreciative whistle through his teeth. “Well, hello, there, Red!”
    The dazzle swiftly turned to irritation. No one had mocked her red Scottish coloring since she was old enough to make them wish they had never tangled with her. Tucking an unruly curl behind her ear, she sidled forward until they were almost nose to nose. Then she rose up on tiptoe, her mouth close enough to his ear that her breath tickled his skin and murmured: “The last guy who called me that is still in the hospital.”
    His deep brown eyes widened. Then he laughed a low, deep sexy sound. “Sweetheart, I love a woman with red hair and the temperament that goes with it.”
    She stepped back a pace and gave him a feral smile. Obviously he wasn’t intimidated by her threat.
The fool.
    “So, all flirting aside, can I help you with something?”
    The slow, lips to feet and back again appraisal he gave her made her palms itch to thump him. She reminded herself of Rule #1 of business: Do not slap customers.
    “I’m looking for a wedding dress.”
    “Oh!” Laughter licked through her like a sudden rain. She returned the long, slow, head to toe and back again stare. “I’m not sure we have anything in your size. Maybe your partner … ?”
    He actually blushed. “No, it’s not for me—” He stopped when he saw her laughing. In fact, Kelly was laughing so hard she had to drop onto one of the chairs.
    “Oh, lord—you should have seen your face! Gotcha!”
Revenge is so sweet.
    He grinned. “I suppose I deserved that, Red.”
    “Keep on with the Red, and you’ll see the nasty side of me.”
    • • •
    Brett Atwell was tempted to say he’d like to see any side of her at all, this drop dead gorgeous woman who’d followed him into the store. His busy imagination conjured up images of all that lush red hair spread across his pillow like wildfire …
    “You’re staring.”
    Oops.
He needed to shake himself out of the lust that had swamped him and to focus on the job at hand. It wasn’t like him to let his mind wander, but then it wasn’t every day he met a woman who appealed to him like this one did.
    Brett tore his thoughts away from the swell of attraction that had caught his breath. This was a business call. From her questions, he guessed she was a salesperson or the owner. He’d never set foot inside a wedding store before and, having seen all this lace and frilly underwear, he was pretty sure he never would again. He had to admit that some of those cute bikini panties—nothing more than scraps of lace, really—were definitely appealing.
    Would be even more appealing on a model. Red, for example.
He just loved the way her eyes narrowed and sparked when he used that nickname. She’d certainly got him with that crack about not having a gown in his size. Drop dead gorgeous and a sense of humor, he amended.
What more could a man ask for?
    “When you’ve finished staring at those bridal garters … ”
    “Those what … ?” Her question had brought him back to the present and to his purpose for being in the bridal shop.
    “Bridal garters. They’re the things brides … ”
    “I know what they are,” he cut in hastily, wondering just how explicit her description was going to be.
    “Okay, so you don’t want a wedding dress for yourself. Most grooms don’t shop for the dress for their bride, so I’m assuming you’re not actually looking to buy a wedding dress. Why, exactly, are you here?” Those blue eyes were throwing off sparks again, and he had to shake