Read Dream of Me: A Sweet Contemporary Romance for Free Online

you’ll be able to see.”
    “I don’t have a key, either. Corbin left the house when I did, and Paul said something about going to a movie. I don’t want to get locked out.” Aubrey reluctantly turned. As she did so, she inadvertently stepped on a broken shell half hidden in the sand. With a gasp, she bent to look at her foot. It was difficult to see the damage in the failing light, but the sticky wetness that met her probing fingers told its own story.
    “What is it?” Richard asked from behind her.
    “I cut myself. It’s bleeding a little.”
    He moved closer. “More than a little. We need to get you back.” An arm snaked around her waist. “Rule number 1: Always wear shoes on the beach.” Without another word, he lifted her into his arms.
    Feeling ridiculous, Aubrey protested, “I can walk back.”
    “Do you really want to add more sand and germs to that cut? I can get you home much quicker.”
    “We’ve got a long walk ahead of us.”
    “If I can’t carry you that far, I need to get a refund from my athletic trainer because I’m seriously out of shape. I believe my niece is heavier than you, and she’s only eight years old.”
    Aubrey’s hope that Corbin might still be absent or at least in another part of the house wasn’t granted. It was he and not Paul who answered Richard’s loud thump.
    “Aubrey cut her foot,” Richard explained.
    Corbin led the way to the hall bathroom. Aubrey wanted nothing more than the floor to open up and swallow her. Anything would be preferable to enduring his cold stare while explaining this latest mishap.
    Richard set her down inside the door. His fingers pushed back the hair from her face and tucked it tidily behind one ear, earning a frown from Corbin who seemed in no hurry to leave. Sending him an annoyed glance, which he ignored, Aubrey turned to Richard.
    “Thanks for your help. I can manage things from here.”
    “It was no trouble. See you around, mermaid.”
    Corbin’s lips tightened at the playful nickname, but he didn’t comment. Aubrey was beginning to find his silence irritating. She let out a frustrated breath when he finally took the hint and followed Richard out the door. Unfortunately, her relief was short-lived. No more than a few seconds later, Corbin was back.
    “Sit down and keep your foot elevated,” he said.
    “I can do this myself.”
    “Before or after you bleed to death. You don’t know where anything is – I do.”
    Aubrey sank down onto the padded seat. Corbin found what he needed and bent down in front of her.
    “Let’s see what the damage is.” He lifted up her foot and placed it on his thigh.
    “You’re going to get blood all over your pants.”
    “Won’t be the first time. It’s a jagged cut, but not too deep. This is going to sting.”
    When Corbin rubbed the alcohol pad over the bottom of her foot, Aubrey tensed. Sting was putting it mildly. Her foot felt like it was on fire.
    “Almost done. The band aids I have aren’t wide enough. I’ll cover it with gauze and use tape.”
    “I can’t believe this happened.”
    “It was inevitable.”
    “Cutting my foot or not wearing shoes?” Aubrey asked innocently.
    “Neither. I meant something else entirely.”
    She looked puzzled for a moment and then she frowned. “He’s a neighbor; I was bound to meet him sooner or later.” At his knowing glance, she went on, “You don’t have to look like that. I’m not one of those man-crazy types.”
    “Aren’t you? That makes a nice change; I thought all women were.”
    “Maybe you hang around the wrong kind of women,” she insisted.
    Corbin looked directly into her face. “We’re not discussing me. Your new friend tends to get around, and I don’t need an employee unable to do her job because she thinks her heart is broken.”
    Aubrey threw him a pitying glance. “Aren’t you exaggerating? You talk as if I’m in imminent danger of making the greatest mistake of my life with a man I’ve known less than an