Read Clay for Free Online Page B

apartment building, in grocery stores, whilewaiting in line at movie theaters, everywhere. She was especially drawn to men of all ages, which was how they had become so friendly with old Alligator Arty in such a short while. It was easy to see that she missed a male influence in her life. She’d even been asking about her father more often in the past few months, but Clay Benedict was not an acceptable substitute.
    Falling back on the ageless ploy of parents, Janna said, “Mr. Benedict has better things to do than play with you.”
    “He’s not doing anything. Besides, he likes kids.”
    “He told you that, too, I suppose?” The glance she gave the man in the bed was tight-lipped and accusing, though she might as well not have bothered for all the impression it made.
    “Yes, he did. And I told him he looks just like my daddy.”
    “She sure did,” Clay drawled, his gaze steady and more than a little quizzical.
    Janna felt light-headed for an instant. Grasping at the first excuse that came to mind, she said shortly, “It doesn’t mean a thing. She thinks every reasonably good-looking man looks like him.”
    His lips curved in a diabolical smile. “Should I be flattered?”
    “I was not implying that I considered you handsome!”
    “No? Too bad, I think I could get used to being in your bed.” Clay gathered Lainey a little closer,and she nestled against his chest as if she’d been doing it all her life.
    “You’re not. I sleep with my daughter.” The words were meant to be scathing, but had a fraught sound instead. She could feel the color returning to her face along with added heat.
    “An arrangement that could be changed.” He craned his neck a bit to give her daughter a conspiratorial wink. “We’d let your Mama join us, wouldn’t we? She might like it, don’t you think?”
    “I expect so,” Lainey said, her small face serious. “She loves to cuddle.”
    “Does she now? Me, too. I wonder what else…but never mind. Time enough for that later.”
    “Not likely!” Janna corrected with some force. “I told you there was nothing personal about why you’re here.”
    “So you did,” he answered, his gaze bright, “but I don’t have to believe it.”
    He was trying to get to her, perhaps to entice her closer out of anger, or even attraction, so that he could get his hands on her. He’d wait a long time before she did anything that stupid; still she needed to get Lainey out of his clutches.
    “Come on, honey. I have a lot of work to do, and you can help me.”
    Lainey sat up straight. “Can I dye fabric?”
    “If you want.” It was Lainey’s favorite part of Janna’s job. She loved to put the lengths of fabric into the various dye batches and watch the colors seep into them. She was actually pretty good at judgingshades and hues, and had an instinctive feel for color harmonies.
    “Isn’t this your studio?” Clay asked with a nod toward her table and other supplies.
    “I work on designs here. The dyeing is messy and requires ventilation. It’s done outside.”
    “You make a living at it, it’s not just a hobby?”
    The need to restrict information about her warred with the pride in her work, and lost. “You could say that. My current project is a summer collection for a large manufacturer. Next summer, of course.”
    “Designs on cloth.”
    “Woven goods of pure cotton, primarily for quilting. I do a lot of patterns from nature.”
    “Like the thing you have on, I guess.”
    She stared at him a second, surprised that he’d noticed. Her dress was a draped and rather artistic garment that she’d put together herself, sewing it from fabric she’d designed and dyed in fluid shades of teal and purple like water reflections. Sewing was a necessity rather than a hobby. She couldn’t afford to waste finished fabric. “It was an experiment. I like to see how the designs and colors are going to work on the cloth itself.”
    He tipped his head as he allowed his gaze to slide from her