Read Caught in the Act for Free Online

more nervous.She was both drawn to and repelled by him. This man was a threat to her livelihood—and her libido.
    “Is there anything I can help you with?” she asked, her voice wavering.
    He gave her a speculative glance. “Do you remember me?”
    She moistened her lips. “Yes.”
    “I saw the sign on your van,” he explained, gesturing to the dancing skeleton figurines. “My mother collects these.”
    Kari almost sagged against the shelves, giddy with relief. Apparently he wasn’t here to arrest her or to flirt with her. He was just a nice guy buying a gift for his mother. How embarrassing.
    “Now I realize that I should have studied her collection before I came in,” he said, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “I’m not sure which ones she already has.”
    Her brain kicked back into gear. “The figurines are fairly common,” she admitted. “No two are exactly alike, because they’re handmade, but many are similar.”
    “Some of them look familiar.”
    “All of the pieces in the display case are one of a kind,” she said, trying a different tack. The skeleton-embossed stemware and blown-glass skulls were unique, original, and much more expensive than the papier-mâché sculptures.
    “I think she only collects the figurines.”
    “If she’s been here before, I can access her previous purchases,” Kari offered.
    “No,” he said quickly. “She always shops in Mexico. I’ll take a look at her shelves and come back.”
    Kari walked toward the register, picking up her newest catalogue. “Many of the skeleton figurines are shownhere, and I have a bigger selection online,” she said, flipping through the glossy pages.
    He didn’t glance at the catalogue, but another display caught his eye. Between the Day of the Dead memorabilia and the impulse items at the front counter, there was a wicker basket full of baby gifts. Tiny little socks, alpaca wool mittens, soft knit caps. Grandmothers couldn’t resist such adorable things.
    “What’s this?” he asked, fingering a colorful silk-blend garment.
    “It’s a rebozo ,” she said, moving forward to demonstrate. She draped the fabric around her neck, fashioning a sturdy knot at one shoulder and leaving a little pouch over her belly. “For a baby?”
    He nodded, recognizing the traditional infant carrier as soon as he saw it on her.
    “Some women wear them on their shoulders, as a shawl,” Kari explained in a rush. “It can also be used in many different ways.”
    His gaze met hers, curious. Her cheeks heated under his examination. She’d been self-conscious before; now she was squirming. There was something unbearably intimate about modeling an infant sling. She felt more exposed than she had been yesterday, as if her secret desires were written all over her face.
    He seemed intrigued by her discomfort. “I’ll take it.”
    Kari removed the sling with care, untying the knot and folding the garment neatly on the glass-top counter. Maybe he was picturing his wife or girlfriend in the rebozo . Although he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring, that didn’t mean he was single. He might be happily married, the proud father of a half-dozen children.
    “Would you like it gift-wrapped?” she asked in a formal tone.
    “Sure,” he said, his mouth quirking into a smile. “It’s for my sister. She’s expecting.”
    “Oh,” she said, smiling back at him. A pregnant sister was much less disturbing to her conscience than a pregnant wife. She ducked below the counter, where she kept the tissue paper, and tried to squelch a tingle of excitement.
    “Is this her first?” she asked.
    “No, her third. She has a boy and a girl already.” He said this with affection, his eyes crinkled up at the corners.
    Kari’s heart melted at the sight. She put a bow on the gift bag and turned to the cash register, ordering herself to stop staring at him. One of the reasons she’d been attracted to Brendan was because he’d seemed like excellent father material. She saw some of