Undeniable Demands Read Online Free PDF Page B

dulled
into distant concerns that could be drowned out, along with the loud bursts of
male laughter coming from the corner. Thank goodness.
    It wasn’t until she’d finished her drink and half a bowl of
peanuts that she bothered to look in their direction again. Wade was still
watching her, although this time the amusement on his face was gone. As the
other men around the table chatted, he seemed to have narrowed his focus to her.
The expression on his face was quite serious. And openly appreciative of
whatever he was seeing.
    When their gazes met, Tori felt a jolt of electricity that ran
down her spine and prickled across her skin like delicate flames licking at her.
It was almost as though his look caressed her physically and drew her into him.
It was the same feeling she’d had when he touched her today, handing her the
honey jar. Sudden. Unexpected. Powerful.
    And totally and completely unwanted.
    The clunk of a glass on the bar in front of her startled Tori
out of Wade’s tractor beam. When she turned, she saw a fresh glass, courtesy of
Skippy.
    “This one’s on the oldest Eden boy.”
    It took Tori a minute to figure out that probably meant Wade.
“You mean the dark-headed one in the green shirt with the smug expression on his
face?”
    Skippy leaned onto the bar and turned toward the men in the
back. “Yep.”
    “I thought his last name was Mitchell.”
    “It is.”
    “Then why’d you call him an Eden boy?”
    Skippy shrugged. “’Cause that’s what he is.”
    Tori frowned. Wade’s family tree seemed to be a touch more
complicated than she’d anticipated. “Tell him I don’t want it.”
    Skippy snorted and shook his head. “He’s sitting with the
mayor, the sheriff, the best lawyer in town and the city councilman who granted
my liquor license. Sorry, kiddo, but I’m not getting involved. You’ll have to
tell him that yourself.”
    “Fine,” Tori said. The drink was making her feel brave anyway.
Scooping up the full glass, she slid off the stool a little too fluidly and made
her way across the bar to the table of men in the back.
    All five of them halted their conversation and turned to look
at her when she approached.
    “You’re welcome, Miss Sullivan,” Wade said with a smile that
made her stomach flutter and pissed her off at the same time. He was too cocky
for his own good.
    “Actually, I wasn’t coming to thank you. I’m returning it.”
    “Is something wrong with the drink?” Wade challenged.
    “Nothing aside from it being purchased by you.” She set it down
on the edge of the table in front of him. “No thanks.”
    A couple of the men chuckled softly and another shifted
uncomfortably in his seat. Wade ignored them all, his gaze laser-focused on her.
“Oh, come on, now. Don’t be that way. It was a ‘Welcome to Cornwall’ drink. A
taste of some local hospitality.”
    “I’ve lived here for two months and only four people have
bothered to speak to me the entire time. It’s a little late for a warm welcome.
Especially coming from the man who’s trying to run me out of town.”
    “That’s harsh. You can stay in town. Just not on that
particular spot. Maybe Randy here can help you buy a new place.” Wade slapped
the younger man beside him on the shoulder. “He tells me he handled the sale of
my parents’ property.”
    “ My property,” she emphasized.
“What else did he tell you, Wade? Are there any loopholes you can use to nullify
the sale? Or are you just snooping around town trying to find some dirt on me
you can use for blackmail?”
    Wade shrugged casually, and Tori could feel her blood nearly
boil in her veins with anger. “Not everything is about you, Miss Sullivan. I’m
visiting my friends while I’m in town. If they just so happen to have
information about you, then great. I like to be well-informed. Especially when
going up against a worthy adversary.”
    “Don’t flatter me. You can dig all you want, but you’re not
going to find any dirt, because I