Read Turn My World Upside Down: Jo's Story for Free Online Page B
Authors: Maureen Child
good three or four inches taller than her own five feet nine.
He’d probably done
that
on purpose, too.
“Besides,” she added. “How would you know what suits me or not? You don’t even
know
me.”
“I know you better than you might think,” he said, and one corner of his mouth lifted, then fell again. “And all I meant was—Jo’s a very . . .
plain
name and you’re too beautiful to—”
Something inside Jo leaped up and growled. “Okay, let’s just get this out on the table. I’m not one of your ‘babes.’ ” She poked a stiff index finger into his chest and watched as his eyes narrowed. Good. Finally, she was getting through to him. “I’m not going to throw myself at your feet and beg you to whisk me off to bed.”
In a heartbeat, the flash of temper she’d noticed was gone, replaced by amusement that sparked in his black eyes. “Now I’m hurt.”
She blew out a breath and threw her hands wide. “I couldn’t hurt you with a hammer.”
He laughed. “Damn, I like you, Josefina.”
“Color me happy.” Man. Ten seconds with Cash Hunter and she was a raving loon. She stomped past him, farther up the drive, following the curve around a huge stand of trees that blocked her vision of the rest of the road. Glancing back at him, she demanded, “Where’s Jack?”
“In a hurry?”
“You have no idea.”
She wanted away from him. Not that she didn’t trust herself around him, but hey, why take chances? He was too practiced. Too smooth.
Too irritating.
“Beautiful,” my ass
, she thought. Here she stood in her work clothes—faded blue jeans, polished, steeltoed work boots, and her favorite MARCONI CONSTRUCTION T-shirt, in dark green. Yeah, she was the picture of elegance.
Not exactly the fairy-princess type.
Nope, no one had ever called Jo beautiful. Striking, sure, even pretty at times. But Sam was the beautiful sister and Mike was damn near gorgeous. It was as if the Marconi genes had just gotten better and better, until with the last child they’d come together just right.
Although, she thought, Mike was no longer the youngest Marconi. Now there was Jack. A little boy who hadn’t yet found his spot in the family. A boy she was responsible for. Which brought her right back to the reason for standing here talking to a man she ought to be avoiding like the plague.
Narrowing her eyes at Cash, she asked, “Where is my brother and why is he here?”
“In the backyard. And why don’t you ask him?”
“I plan to,” she said, and started walking. She took only a couple of steps before she stopped and looked back at him again. Lifting both hands before letting them fall to her sides again, she asked, “And this backyard is
where
?”
Jo turned in a circle and saw only trees, bushes, and at the edges of the road, wildflowers beginning to burst through the rocky ground to dot the area with blue and purple.
Shaking his head, Cash walked to her, took her arm and steered her around the curve in the road.
“You know,” Jo snapped, yanking her arm free of hisgrasp before she could get too used to the sizzle of heat spreading up her arm from the spot his fingertips had touched. “I’ve been walking all on my own for several years now.”
Staring down at her, he studied her for what felt like way too long before he finally blurted, “You want to tell me why I bug you so much?”
Something inside her fisted, then released again. Oh, there was a reason. But she wasn’t about to tell him what she’d never told
anyone
. Still, maybe she should dial down her temper a little. Stop making every moment she spent with Cash a battleground. Otherwise, he’d just get too curious, start prodding her, and then she
would
have to get out her hammer and let him have it.
She gave him a tight smile. “Love to. But neither one of us has that much time at the moment.”
“You’ve got a tongue on you that could slice the flesh right off a man.”
“You’re still standing,” she pointed
He’d probably done
that
on purpose, too.
“Besides,” she added. “How would you know what suits me or not? You don’t even
know
me.”
“I know you better than you might think,” he said, and one corner of his mouth lifted, then fell again. “And all I meant was—Jo’s a very . . .
plain
name and you’re too beautiful to—”
Something inside Jo leaped up and growled. “Okay, let’s just get this out on the table. I’m not one of your ‘babes.’ ” She poked a stiff index finger into his chest and watched as his eyes narrowed. Good. Finally, she was getting through to him. “I’m not going to throw myself at your feet and beg you to whisk me off to bed.”
In a heartbeat, the flash of temper she’d noticed was gone, replaced by amusement that sparked in his black eyes. “Now I’m hurt.”
She blew out a breath and threw her hands wide. “I couldn’t hurt you with a hammer.”
He laughed. “Damn, I like you, Josefina.”
“Color me happy.” Man. Ten seconds with Cash Hunter and she was a raving loon. She stomped past him, farther up the drive, following the curve around a huge stand of trees that blocked her vision of the rest of the road. Glancing back at him, she demanded, “Where’s Jack?”
“In a hurry?”
“You have no idea.”
She wanted away from him. Not that she didn’t trust herself around him, but hey, why take chances? He was too practiced. Too smooth.
Too irritating.
“Beautiful,” my ass
, she thought. Here she stood in her work clothes—faded blue jeans, polished, steeltoed work boots, and her favorite MARCONI CONSTRUCTION T-shirt, in dark green. Yeah, she was the picture of elegance.
Not exactly the fairy-princess type.
Nope, no one had ever called Jo beautiful. Striking, sure, even pretty at times. But Sam was the beautiful sister and Mike was damn near gorgeous. It was as if the Marconi genes had just gotten better and better, until with the last child they’d come together just right.
Although, she thought, Mike was no longer the youngest Marconi. Now there was Jack. A little boy who hadn’t yet found his spot in the family. A boy she was responsible for. Which brought her right back to the reason for standing here talking to a man she ought to be avoiding like the plague.
Narrowing her eyes at Cash, she asked, “Where is my brother and why is he here?”
“In the backyard. And why don’t you ask him?”
“I plan to,” she said, and started walking. She took only a couple of steps before she stopped and looked back at him again. Lifting both hands before letting them fall to her sides again, she asked, “And this backyard is
where
?”
Jo turned in a circle and saw only trees, bushes, and at the edges of the road, wildflowers beginning to burst through the rocky ground to dot the area with blue and purple.
Shaking his head, Cash walked to her, took her arm and steered her around the curve in the road.
“You know,” Jo snapped, yanking her arm free of hisgrasp before she could get too used to the sizzle of heat spreading up her arm from the spot his fingertips had touched. “I’ve been walking all on my own for several years now.”
Staring down at her, he studied her for what felt like way too long before he finally blurted, “You want to tell me why I bug you so much?”
Something inside her fisted, then released again. Oh, there was a reason. But she wasn’t about to tell him what she’d never told
anyone
. Still, maybe she should dial down her temper a little. Stop making every moment she spent with Cash a battleground. Otherwise, he’d just get too curious, start prodding her, and then she
would
have to get out her hammer and let him have it.
She gave him a tight smile. “Love to. But neither one of us has that much time at the moment.”
“You’ve got a tongue on you that could slice the flesh right off a man.”
“You’re still standing,” she pointed