Read Dee, Lavada - Nothing to Lose [Blackhawk Brothers] (BookStrand Publishing Romance) for Free Online Page B

she was. Turning, she braced herself so she wouldn’t give away too much. “Just thinking back, nothing interesting.”
    “Oh, I don’t know.” He handed her a glass and kept hold of it when she reached for it. His gaze dropped to their hands, and his voice deepened. “I find you very interesting.”
    Just a touch and Galynn felt the heat. She swallowed and pulled the glass out of his hand. It might be early, but with things heating up like they were, it was late enough to call it a day and put some space between them. “Do you have time to do my back? I think I’ll turn in a little early tonight. Maybe read for a while.”
    * * * *
    It was still dark when Galynn woke up, but the clock on the nightstand said six thirty. She’d only managed a couple of chapters of her book before falling asleep. With a full night’s sleep, she felt rested. Sleep deprivation had been one of Mick’s tools to keep her what he called “in line.” With her mother so sick, it had been a couple of years since she’d gotten a full night’s sleep, so she’d conditioned herself to it. Or she thought she had, until Mick started waking her up during the night. He had been good with her mother, but almost as soon as she passed away, he started changing. Maybe he thought he would lose his hold on her.
Who knew?
He worked the graveyard shift, and since he was out in the car on patrol, he’d stop in at the house and wake her up. Sometimes it would only be for her to get him a glass of water. Sometimes he’d insist she make him something to eat. There were days at work that she felt more like a zombie than a third-grade teacher.
    When she had made a run for it, she’d spent most nights on a bus, only stopping once to throw him off her track. She’d stayed in a middle-class motel that was comfortable enough and even had a coffee shop, but she hadn’t slept well. That first night with Cooper had opened a new door for her. Here she felt safe, even cared for.
    She listened but didn’t hear anything. Cooper seemed to get up early and had probably already gone up to the office. He’d told her not to worry about the time and that eight would be plenty early enough to start but nine or ten would work, too. Maybe she’d run down and get a cup of coffee to drink while she got dressed and straightened her room.
    She had on a tank top and flannel short bottoms she liked to sleep in. Traveling light, she hadn’t packed a robe. Humming to herself, she entered the kitchen and stopped short.
    Cooper’s spoon paused just short of his mouth. Galynn’s voice was almost a whisper. “Huh, I thought that you’d already left. I…um didn’t. Uh, the house was really quiet.”
    The spoon clattered back into the bowl of cereal in front of him. He swallowed as his gaze took in the skimpy tank top. Was it the cool temperature that had her nipples exposed through the material?
    Galynn turned away and reached for the coffeepot. Neither one spoke. Silence filled the kitchen as Galynn filled her cup before fleeing the kitchen like something was chasing her.

    Chapter 5
    Galynn fussed around the house, hoping that by the time she got to the office Cooper would have left for the job. It was almost nine when she opened the door to male laughter. A huge guy held up the doorframe between the main office and Cooper’s. He turned toward the open door, and his eyes widened. He recovered quickly and gave her a smile that lit up his face. “Hi, I’m Gus.” Turning, he hollered, “Coop, you’ve got company.”
    Almost at once, four men and Cooper filed out his office. Galynn couldn’t believe that many men had managed to be in there. Gus moved closer to give them room. He seemed oblivious to his boss’s glare.
    Cooper moved across the room to Galynn’s side and introduced them all. He explained that the five men made up Blackhawk Construction.
    Speaking to the men, he went onto explain the office situation. “Bev’s intentions were to only be gone about three