Free Johnny (Connelly Cousins #2) by Abbie Zanders Page A

legs, hiding them from his curious eyes. Not for the first time that morning, he wondered why she was confined to a wheelchair. Had she been in an accident? Or was she born that way?
    Not that it mattered. With or without the chair, she was the most vibrant, intoxicating woman he’d ever met. Sexy body, sassy mouth, a passion that rivalled his own. Hopefully, she’d see past his initial shock and subsequent unfortunate inability to speak and give him another chance, maybe even trust him with a confidence or two.
    Her face was an unreadable mask as she poured something thick and white from a small carton into her coffee. Soy milk. Then she added the contents of a small yellow packet. Organic sugar substitute. Johnny made mental notes, so tomorrow morning, he could bring her coffee in bed.
    The thought gave him pause. Was he planning to be here tomorrow morning?
    Hell yes, he was.
    Stacey lifted the mug to her lips he witnessed something close to rapture pass over her face. He’d seen that look on her before, when he ...
    His cock jerked again, reminding him that he’d neglected to grab a pair of briefs before he’d run up to the upstairs shower earlier. It was one thing to borrow a pair of Michael’s sweats, but there was no way in hell he was going to wear his brother’s underwear.
    “Coffee okay?” he asked innocently, studying her face. Her eyes snapped open, as if she suddenly remembered he was there.
    “It’s okay,” she mumbled, and he fought hard to contain the grin that lurked just beneath his blank expression.
    “Just okay?”
    “Oh, who the hell am I kidding?” she breathed out in a whoosh. “This is a damn good cup of coffee.” Johnny’s grin broke through full-force. “But don’t let it go to your head,” she grumbled, taking another sip.
    It was a start. Johnny sat down at the table and focused on his food, giving her some personal space. “So...,” he said, between mouthfuls. He had to be careful how he approached this. He didn’t want her bolting on him again. Or crying.
    “So,” she echoed. Her eyes were closed, and she was holding the mug of coffee in both hands as if it was a precious child.
    “I’m sorry.”
    She avoided looking him in the eye. “About what?”
    “About this morning. You kind of caught me by surprise.”
    She shrugged. “Like I said, no biggie.”
    She was a horrible liar, but he wasn’t about to call her out. Doing so would raise her hackles again and put her on the defensive, and as much as he loved her fiery spirit, he preferred to see it manifested in other ways.
    She took another sip of coffee, then flashed those silvery gray eyes his way. He was glad to see they had softened a bit. “I’m sorry about using your room. Yours was the only bedroom that didn’t require steps to get to.”
    “No problem. I don’t mind sharing.”
    Her big eyes widened and flashed his way. “You’re – you’re staying?” she asked hesitantly. He couldn’t tell if she was pleased or displeased by the idea, but either way, he wasn’t ready to walk away.
    “Yeah, I have some vacation built up, thought I’d crash here. You know, leave the rat race behind and all that.” That might not have been his original plan, but he was liking the idea more and more. He could use a break; he’d been busting his ass, working as much if not more than his crews. Besides, barring this morning’s misunderstanding, he felt better than he had in weeks. Another few nights like last night, and he’d be set for a while.
    Stacey was biting her lower lip. He could see the whirlwind of thoughts in those stormy gray eyes. He’d once heard the saying that “eyes were the windows of the soul”. He’d never really understood what that meant, but it was starting to make sense when he looked in hers.
    “Will that be a problem?” he asked, tossing back her earlier words.
    * * *
    H e spoke casually, as if this sort of thing happened to him all the time. As if strange women just appeared in