Free The Goodbye Girl by Angela Verdenius Page A

shudder.  “I’m so scared.”
    “I’ll bring you down,” he said conversationally.
    She eyed him derisively.  “Got a tank?”
    “Honey, I don’t need a tank to bring a woman down.”
    “Is that so?”
    His smile was slow but sure, curving that gorgeous mouth to show even, white teeth.  His fingers stopped tapping on the underside of the table surface.
    Whoa, was that a bit of the Big Bad Wolf peeking out from those gleaming eyes?
    “Yeah,” he drawled.  “That’s so.”
    “Big talk.”  Let’s see if she could ruffle his feathers.  “You ever bring a woman my size down?”
    His smile just got wider, his eyes sliding down her body in a decadent sweep that had her tingling in all the wrong - or right, depending on the definition - places.  When his eyes met hers again, they were - holy crap, they were decidedly carnal.  “It’d be my pleasure to do it.”
    Mentally fanning herself, Bree leaned both elbows nonchalantly back against the kitchen bench.  Unfortunately, that movement had her already impressive bosom thrusting out further.
    Going by the gleam in Nick’s eyes, he appreciated the view.
    Not about to back down, she cocked an eyebrow.  “Is pain your pleasure, Nick?”
    “Depends .” His voice was even but a dark thread slid through it like black velvet.
    Or maybe that was just her libido cranking up.
    “On what?”  She deliberately made her voice lazy.
    “On what the pain leads to. Where the pain is from.”  Yeah, there was definitely sexual innuendo there.
    Not used to that from a man who looked like Nick, Bree nevertheless continued to portray a not-easily impressed woman.  Even though her panties were getting damp.  “Hernia.  Bulging disc.”
    “Honey, bringing you down would cause me anything but a hernia or bulging disc.”
    “My, you are full of confidence, aren’t you?”
    “I know my capabilities.”
    “So your home planet is Krypton?”
    He didn’t even blink.  “More like Gotham City.”
    “Are you likening yourself to Batman?”
    “Are you likening yourself to Little Lottie?”
    Nice manoeuvre.  “So you’ve read the Richie Rich comics.  I’m impressed.”
    His lashes - too thick and dark to be decent on a man, surely? - lowered slightly.  “I aim to please.”
    She just bet he did.  However, before she could reply, Alex came back into the kitchen.
    “Man, I am starved.”  Moving around the kitchen bench, briefly coming between Nick and Bree’s locked gazes, he touched Harly’s shoulder before turning to the cupboard.  “I’ll get the plates out.”
    “Ah…yeah.”  Harly tore her fascinated gaze from Nick and Bree.  “Thanks.”
    Alex must have heard something in her voice, because he glanced over one broad shoulder.  “Everything all right?”
    “I think so.”
    “It’s fine,” Bree assured him.
    Alex’s gaze cut to Nick, who just smiled slightly.  “Hmmm.”
    That ‘hmmm’ had Bree straightening.  Alex obviously knew something was between her and Nick, he had to know seeing as how he was Nick’s friend and in the same Battalion.  She had to delve a little deeper, see if she could trip them up.
    Presuming they were here for something covert, and not just a holiday.  She could end up with egg on her face if she wasn’t careful, but man, she hadn’t faced a possible conspiracy for a long time.  She’d forgotten how thrilling it could be…
    …or maybe it was the way Nick was watching her, his gaze following her every move as she stood up...
    …or maybe the way Alex was narrowing his eyes slightly, as though trying to silently warn Nick about something, and that something was her, she just knew it.
    Oh yeah, conspiracy or not, something was up.  She just had to find out what it was, but neither did she want to cause unpleasantness.  Harly was her friend, and even though she’d just met Alex, she liked him.  As for Nick, well…she liked him, too, or what she knew of him from their letters.  He’d gotten her