Free Redemption (Iris Series) by Rebecca Lynn Page B

her so hot.  This plan of answering the door half naked totally backfired.  She wanted to give him something to dream about, and all she did was fuel her own .
    “I totally got this, Johnny Be Good,” she said with false bravado.  “I’d be happy to get dressed, if you’ll let go of my sari.”
    She looked at him, flushed and waiting. 
    His eyes were gleaming and his jaw was clenched.  He looked down at his hand holding the fabric, then loosened his grip.  “Fine.  Go get some clothes on, would ya?”
    “I would if you’d let me leave,” she muttered.  She turned away from him and he smacked her ass just before she was out of his reach. 
    “Hey!”
    He shrugged with a smirk. “It’s what guy friends do.”
    She huffed and walked away into her bedroom, closing the door.  She let the sari fall from her heated body and quickly grabbed underwear and jeans.  She was definitely getting the vibe from him.  In fact if she was right, she had been getting the vibe from him during their last few encounters.  But he obviously wanted to respect her decision about the 40 day time limit. 
    At least, she hoped she was reading the vibe right.  Her man “radar” had always worked.  It was Ryann who couldn’t flirt worth a shit.  Ayanna was always the one who knew her way around a guy.  But the one standing in her living room had her running in circles.  She didn’t know if she was coming or going. 
    And she’d rather be coming, that was for sure.
    She threw on some skinny jeans, a pink t-shirt, and some flip flops.  The she threw her hair into a topknot and ran into the bathroom to brush her teeth then splash water on her face.
    When she got back to the living room, she’d only been gone four minutes.
    He looked at his watch and raised his eyebrow.  “Wow.  The sex goddess is apparently not as high maintenance as I thought.”
    She gave him a dirty look.  “Where’s the truck?  Do we have to go pick it up?”
    “Yeah, it’s at my friend’s in Brooklyn,” he said, the enigmatic smile still playing on his lips.
    She ignored the smile.  “Perfect.  Because I want to go to IKEA and there’s one in Brooklyn on Beard Street.
    “Let’s go.”
    “You want some coffee?”
    “No.”
    “Let me just grab a ‘to-go’ cup and we can be on our way.”
    ……
    They hopped on the subway to his friend’s, and once they were settled next to each other in the subway car, he looked down at her. 
    “So, what are you gonna get today?”
    “Really, the only things I need at the moment are a sofa and chair, and maybe some kitchen stuff.  I’ve already got a big ottoman in my bedroom which I’m gonna use for a coffee table.”  It’s the one you sit on and direct me from.   She quickly wiped away the thought of the sex dream from her brain.  “I’ve been looking online, and I already know which sofa and chair I want, so it’ll be a short trip.  Thanks again for doing this, Johnny Be Good,” she said with a smile and bumped her shoulder with his.
    “No prob.  I wasn’t doing much today, so I thought I’d check in.”
    “What do you do during the summers off from teaching?”
    “A lot of consulting with folks on their portfolios, financial advising, that kind of thing.”
    “Maybe I should have you look at my portfolio.  I’m doing it all based on things I’ve learned myself, but having an experienced set of eyes look at it would probably be a good thing.”
    “I’d be happy to.  Just let me know when.”
    She smiled.  “I’ll make you dinner in return…the bartering system at its best.”
    “Sounds good to me.”  He looked down at her.  “Any time anyone wants to cook for me, I’m all for it.  Especially if it’s a woman who knows her way around a kitchen.”
    “Well, then you’re a lucky guy.  Because I’m a woman and I definitely know my way around a kitchen.”  She cocked her head at him and said, “It’s kinda nice having a guy friend.”  She smiled up at