Free Seduced by Stratton (The English Brothers Book 4) by Katy Regnery Page A

the man and smiled at her.
    “It was my pleasure.”
    “You and Val looked real good together,” she said, winking before heading down the stairs beside her husband.
    The rest of the couples gave him similar compliments before trudging down the stairs in their boots and winter wear, chatting cheerfully as they exited onto the sidewalk.
    “So, you were dancing with Val?”
    “Yep.”
    “And now you’re waiting for her?”
    “Yep.” He held out his hand. “Stratton English.”
    “ Stratton English ?” the man replied, mocking his name.
    “And you are?”
“Not named after a fucking tea.”
    Stratton gave him a hard look before shaking his head. “Okay. I think we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot here. Val and I are friends. We’re just friends. I helped her out with some financial stuff, and she’s going to help me out with . . . something too. I’m not with her. I don’t even—”
    “Oh. Okay. Well, yeah, that changes things. I’m Danny Morello. I’m her, uh . . . well, you could say I’m, well, her boyfriend. Sort of.”
    “Huh,” murmured Stratton, surprised by the tightness in his chest, the sudden lump in his throat. “You are?”
    “Yeah. I am,” he asserted, leaning down to pick up his toolbox.
    At that moment, the studio door opened and Valeria stood before them, her face flushed. She glanced at Stratton, giving him a hard, angry look before shining her eyes on Danny and giving him a breathtaking smile.
    “Hey, Danny,” she purred.
    “H-Hey, Val,” he answered, dumbstruck.
    She took two steps closer to him and grabbed the lapels of his canvas work jacket, pulling him toward her. “Missed you.”
    “Oh—oh, yeah? You, uh, you missed me?”
    “Lots,” she said, licking her lips.
    Stratton watched in fascination and with fury bunching up the muscles of his stomach as she leaned forward and pressed her lips to Danny’s. When she leaned back, she gave Danny a small smile before looking at Stratton, smile gone, her chest heaving and her eyes wild. He stared back at her, humorless, his own chest heaving up and down just as fast, his eyes likely as wild as hers.
    “Ready to go?” she asked tersely.
    “Yep,” he spat.
    She grabbed her coat off a hook behind him then turned to head down the stairs without a second glance at Stratton, who used every ounce of his strength not to punch a dazed and confused Danny Morello in the face.

 
 
 
CHAPTER 5
A Little Quarreling Can Be Good
     
    She took off at a brisk pace, only half-caring if Stratton was keeping up with her. Damn it, but he had really hurt her feelings this time. As she had straightened up the studio before leaving for the evening, she could hear Stratton and Danny outside in the hallway. When she realized they were talking about her, she’d stood against the wall next to the door and listened.
    Val and I are friends . . . just friends . . . I’m not with her . . . I don’t even . . .
    “Don’t even what ?” she’d wanted to scream. See her as a woman? Well, she’d fixed that. She’d forced him to see her as a woman.
    She pursed her lips, trying not to smile as she recalled the stunned look on Danny’s face, then shook her head, feeling disappointed in herself. Yes, Danny had lied about them being together, but she’d used Danny to make a point, and not only did she owe him an explanation, but an apology too. Danny was a good man—not the right man for Val, and he shouldn’t have said he was her boyfriend—but he didn’t deserve to be played with either. She’d be sure to catch him sometime over the next few days and figure out a way to smooth things over.
    “Talk about being unavailable,” Stratton blurted out from beside her.
    “Hmm,” she huffed, refusing to look at him.
    “You have a boyfriend ?” he asked, hooking his thumb back toward the studio.
    She stopped walking, fixing him with an irate stare. “You and I are just friends , Stratton. It’s none of your business if I’m dating someone or