The Navy SEAL’s Holiday Fling: Ballybeg Bad Boys, Book 3 Read Online Free PDF Page B

gently. “Or somewhere to go?”
    Jill shook her head, unable to stop the trembling. “I’ll be fine.”
    He put down his glass and slipped an arm around her shoulders. “Do you want me to call someone? Olivia, maybe? Or your mom?”
    Yes , a voice in her head shouted. “Olivia’s stepson has the ’flu. I can’t risk getting sick when we’re so busy at work.”
    “What about your parents? Could you stay with them?”
    She shook her head. “My dad is dead. It was just me, Mum, and my little sister when I was growing up.”
    “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. What happened to your him?”
    “He died in a car crash when I was ten.”
    “That sucks.”
    She shrugged. “It was a long time ago. Shit happens, we deal with it and get on with our lives.”
    “That’s all any of us can do.” Liam leaned in and kissed her forehead. “You’re beautiful, Jill, both inside and out.”
    The sensation of his lips on her skin sent a frisson of awareness from her head to her toes. God, this man had the power to turn her on with one word, one touch. “You’re trying to flatter me,” she said with a nervous laugh.
    “No flattery required,” Liam said, staring into her eyes and turning her into a quivering mass of sexual tension.
    “As for Mum,” she blurted, desperate to distract herself from dirty thoughts about the last man on Earth she should get dirty with, “she’s spending Christmas with my sister in Spain. They asked me to join them, but I couldn’t get away.”
    His forehead rumpled. “Are you sure you’ll be okay on your own?”
    “Of course.” Jill swallowed past the lump in her throat.
    Liam removed his arm from her shoulders and stood. She felt oddly bereft without his warm touch on her skin. He pulled a car key from the pocket of his jeans. “I guess I’d better make tracks.”
    “Where are you staying?”
    He shrugged. “I’ll find a room in the city. If I can’t, there’s a camp bed at the Emergency Response Unit’s HQ.”
    Jill took a deep breath and stood to join him. She was a liar, a fraud, a coward. Who was she trying to kid? She didn’t want him to leave. The idea of being alone after what had happened sent a shiver down her spine.
    As if in a trance, she ran a finger across his strong jawline, pausing on the cleft in his chin. “Stay with me, Liam. I don’t want to be alone tonight.”

    L iam released the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He hadn’t wanted to leave Jill alone. Not with a maniac on the loose. He’d asked if she could have police protection, but Inspector Tobin and his team had dismissed Liam’s concerns. They seemed convinced that The Ghost was targeting Blush Shoppe in general, rather than specific employees. With finite resources and a ticking clock, they preferred to concentrate their efforts on the manhunt, in addition to placing a guard in front of the Blush Shoppe store.
    Liam pulled Jill close and inhaled the scent of her freshly washed hair. What was her shampoo? Vanilla? “I can sleep on the couch.”
    “Don’t be ridiculous. If you’re staying, you can share my bed.” She drew a finger down the back of his neck, sending a shot of lust coursing through his body.
    “I don’t want to take advantage of the situation,” he said through gritted teeth, desperately trying to conjure up unerotic images but failing to see anything in his mind’s eye but the memory of her naked body.
    She drew back and raised her huge dark eyes. “I might be frightened, but I know exactly what I want. You used me before. I intend to use you tonight.”
    “Jill, I—”
    She placed a finger on his lips to silence him. “Are you going to refuse?” Her finger meandered from his lips down his neck and paused at the pulse at the base of his throat.
    “No,” he said hoarsely.
    Her catlike smile made his heart beat faster. “Excellent. You can help me try out one of Blush Shoppe’s new products.”
    Liam’s mouth went bone dry. “You want to use a sex