Read 04 Naked Games for Free Online

purse tighter, as if for self-defense, and forced herself to look him in the eye. “Hi. Um, I hope I’m not interrupting you.”
    “Nope.” He stepped back and asked, “Do you want to come in?”
    “Thank you.” Catherine stepped around him and entered the house. It was a pretty ranch style. The interior wasn’t as interesting as Wade’s, but it was spacious and comfortable. Lots of windows and a cathedral ceiling made the room appear larger than it actually was. The big, brown suede couch facing a large flat-screen television looked inviting. The kitchen was at the back of the house but it was open to the living area, and she could see something cooking on the stove. She looked up at him and asked, “Were you having lunch?”
    “Yeah.”
    That one word and nothing more. Catherine slumped, as it became crystal clear that Dean wasn’t going to be in an understanding and compromising mood. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come.”
    When she turned to go, a strong hand wrapped around her upper arm, effectively halting her in her tracks. “I don’t mind sharing lunch with you. You like chicken and noodles?”
    His tone was as unyielding as the hand holding her in place, but the fact he was willing to be at least a tiny bit civilized gave her hope. Catherine smiled. “I love it. But only if you have plenty, of course.”
    Dean snorted and released her. “My mom made a ton of it. It’ll take me a week to eat it all.”
    Catherine unzipped her black wool coat and laid it over the back of a brown, leather recliner sitting near the door. “Mama used to make enough food for an army.” Her heart squeezed at the memory. “Daddy was always getting on her about making him fat, even though he barely had an inch of fat on him.”
    “You miss them,” he stated as he moved toward the kitchen.
    It wasn’t a question, simply an observation. Catherine felt compelled to respond anyway. “Every day.” She put her purse on the chair and followed him. “At first the grief swamps you. It gets easier as time goes on, but not by much.”
    He nodded as he spooned up a good portion of the steaming soup into a round, white stoneware bowl. He placed it on the square oak table and waved a hand toward her. “I lost my dad a few years ago. It’s tough.”
    Catherine pulled out a chair and sat, but she was too interested in the conversation to care about the food. He was opening up a little. She decided to see it as a good sign. “I’m sorry. How did he die?”
    He placed a napkin and spoon on the table next to her bowl. “Heart attack. None of us saw it coming.”
    “When it’s sudden, comes out of nowhere, it makes you feel as if you’ve been cheated. There’s no chance to say good-bye.”
    “Yeah,” he growled as he turned back to the stove to ladle up a helping for himself. As he moved to sit in the seat across from her and picked up his spoon, his dark chocolate gaze caught and held hers. “So, did you come here to talk about the death of a loved one?”
    She squinted at him. “You like to get right to the point, don’t you?”
    “Usually, yeah. And right now you’re stalling.”
    She watched him eat. He didn’t wolf down the food, but ate each bite slowly, as if he wanted to savor it. “I thought we were having a nice conversation,” she said, distracted by the way his tongue darted out to lick up a bit of broth. “You know, two adults enjoying each other’s company.”
    He placed the spoon on the table and swiped a napkin over his mouth. “Here’s the thing,” he said. “I don’t trust you. That’s not likely to change just because you want it to. So, if that’s the reason you’re here, then you might as well leave.”
    She dropped her spoon, and it hit the bowl with a clang, bounced off, and landed on the table. “What’s your deal?” she shouted as she lost her grip on her temper. “Everyone else seems okay with my presence here. Everyone except you. Why?”
    “You came out of nowhere and