Read Picture Perfect (Butler Island) for Free Online Page A

leapt back and quickly juggled the
three doughnut boxes to prevent them from falling.
    “Sweet baby Jesus! What are you doing
here?” She shouted.
    Grant reached for the tumbling
doughnut boxes and steadied them with his large hands before meeting her gaze.
He really hadn’t meant to frighten her, but discovering her standing next to
the fire truck, reveling in what appeared to be fond memories from her
childhood, fascinated him. The expression on her face had been peaceful and
carefree and he savored every second of it.
    He smiled at her stupefied demeanor.
“I work here, remember…?”
    Olivia took a deep breath and sighed
as she spoke. “Right. It’s all coming back to me now”, she answered.
    Grant removed his hands from the
boxes and placed them safely in his pockets. He didn’t trust himself not to
touch her again. “What are you doing here?”
    Raising the boxes slightly, she gave
them a slight jiggle. “I brought everyone doughnuts. Ty’s been hounding me to
stop by for weeks now—and why do I have ESP ?” she asked confusedly.
    “Because, I was just thinking about
you and now you’re here…” An awkward silence lurked between them for a moment
and in an attempt to gain comfort, Grant stepped in front of her and leaned his
shoulder against the fire engine. He blew out a puff of air and studied his
work boots as he began. “Look, Olivia, I’ve been meaning to call you and—”
    “—It’s okay—no need to explain. You
and I both probably had too much to drink and I’m sure if we’d been sober,
nothing would’ve happened.”
    Grant tore his attention away from
his shoes and pinned her with his stare. “Is that what you really think?
Because I’ve been fighting the urge to kiss you ever since I rescued you on the
beach.”
    Her expression remained carefree,
although her stiffened posture revealed a glimpse of vulnerability. “You didn’t
rescue me—I’m not a damsel in distress”, she stated.
    “ Oh
yeah?” Clearly amused, he crossed his arms and felt the corners of his
mouth rise. “What would you call it then?”
    Without missing a beat, she answered
with a wide grin. “Relocation and first aid administration.”
    Grant felt a gut-busting laugh erupt
from deep within. She was such a tough girl—never wanting to admit she’d needed
his help that day. Never wanting to show any outward signs of weakness. “Well,
that’s certainly a first.”
     When he’d finally regained his
composure, he pointed at her with his finger and flashed a heated smile. “You
owe me a date.”
    Hearing him laugh warmed her soul and
when he exposed that smile— the one that could melt a woman’s panties in ten
seconds or less— she couldn’t help but feel a rush of adventure. She felt
the tension she’d been living with for the past five days slowly recede. He’d
enjoyed the kiss every bit as much as she had and he was clearly attempting to
put plans in motion to kiss her again. A significant part of her wanted to jump
at the opportunity to spend an evening with him on the spot. But what would be
the fun in that?
    That’s the kind of reaction he’s
accustomed to.
    He says “jump” and they say “how high?”
It was time for Grant to sweat a little bit.
      Heavens to Betsy—this was going
to be fun! “You mean the drunken Halloween kiss wasn’t repayment enough for
your services?” she asked playfully.
    “Nope—have any plans for tomorrow
night?”
    “As a matter of fact, I was thinkin’
of color coordinatin’ my closet”, she attempted in her best poker face.
    Grant laughed, but his expression
slowly faded when he realized she wasn’t smiling any longer. “You’re serious?”
    “Uh-huh”, she responded, her lips
desperately struggling to conceal her growing grin.
    “You’re not going to make this easy
on me, are you?” he mumbled as he wiped his
hand down his face.
    “Are you implyin’ that I’m playin’
hard to get, Womack?”
    Grant licked his
lips and smiled.