Read His To Keep for Free Online Page A

nothing.
    “Sorry for what?” The bite in her tone was unavoidable.
    “I’m sorry I scared you.”
    She opened her mouth to throw his apology back in his face—until his words sunk in. Scared her? What was he—
    She glanced down and saw her hands shake. So much so they continued to shake even when she’d clenched them in front of her. Her entire body trembled. Why hadn’t she noticed? How could she have missed it?
    “Are you okay?” His tone softened as he spoke, so much so that she heard his concern. Concern for her.
    She didn’t know what to say.
    Finally, she forced words out of lips still tingling from his kiss. “I’m fine.” Then, with all her strength, she lifted her trembling arm to look at her watch. “I have to get going. I need to get home.”
    “I thought you were going to your mother’s?”
    Oh, God. Brad would be here to pick her up any minute. Blond Brad with his perfectly tailored suits and his Infiniti. He’d come in here, sweep the place with his discerning eye and find it lacking. He’d never said anything outright, but she knew he wondered why she worked at all. One look at her staring at Nic the way she was right now, and he’d know.
    Know she wanted the man standing in front of her. Wanted him to take her in his strong arms and carry her upstairs to his apartment and—
    Someone knocked on the door.
    She drew in a sharp breath and blinked, more startled than she should have been. Then she closed her eyes tightly to refocus.
    She opened them and realized Nic now stood next to her. They weren’t touching, but she could feel his presence like a physical caress against her skin.
    “Annie, are you okay?”
    She shivered at his tone. He never called her Annie. Such a tiny detail, but it meant so much. And his rough voice made her shiver deep inside. She couldn’t meet his gaze, but she nodded, just a short bob of her head.
    “I’m fine.” Neither of them moved, but the door was locked so someone had to let Brad in. She felt like a rabbit caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.
    Brad knocked again and the spell broke. Her gaze lifted to settle on Nic’s face, all hard planes and angles, his mouth drawn tight. With regret?
    He moved away, into the hall. She heard him open the front door and greet Brad quietly, calmly.
    Move, damn it. Do something. Don’t just stand here like you’ve been paralyzed.
    She took a deep breath, held it for a ten-count then blew it out. With a force of will that surprised her, she took her overcoat from the rack next to the door and pulled it around her shoulders. She remembered at the last second to pick up her purse. Then she walked to the front door, where the man who’d just kissed her senseless was making small talk with the man her mother hoped she’d marry.
    “Hello, Brad.” Her voice was steady, thank God, but she couldn’t raise a smile. Instead, she forced herself to turn to Nic and say, “Goodnight. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
    His gaze pinned her in place, making her feel as if she was blistering in the sun. Her skin remembered his touch. Her lips ached for his. She wanted to throw herself at him and demand he kiss her again.
    Nic shook his head. “No, you won’t. I’ll see you Monday. Then I may have to go out of town.”
    That’s right. It was Friday. They wouldn’t be able to talk until Monday. She felt cheated…and relieved.
    She nodded. “I’ll see you then. Have a good weekend, Nic.”
    She walked out the door, Brad’s fingers burning against her back.
    * * * * *
    At seven, Nic parked his truck in the lot of DeMarco Garage on Passayunk Avenue and checked to make sure everything was okay—no broken windows, bay doors closed tight, no suspicious types hanging around.
    He hadn’t seen Toni and Mags all week. Since he was headed to his cousin Vinnie’s house for poker night, he decided to drop in at Mags’ first. Maybe the scolding he was likely to get from Toni would take his mind off of kissing Annie.
    Why the hell