Free On His List (Entangled Flirts) by Wendy Sparrow

my online friendships. I hope someday to put you all on my list. Thank you.

About the Author

    At home in the Pacific Northwest, Wendy Sparrow writes for both an adult and young adult crowd. She has two wonderfully quirky kids, a supportive husband, and a perpetually messy house because writing is more fun than cleaning. She enjoys reading with a flashlight under a blanket—the way all the best books should be read—and believes in the Oxford comma, the pursuit of cupcakes, and that every story deserves a happily ever after. Most days she can be found on Twitter where she’ll talk to anyone who talks back, and occasionally just to herself.

    Read on for an excerpt from Wendy Sparrow’s...
    frosted
    Chapter One
    Kate skirted the snow as if it were boiling, bubbling lava. Denver was covered with the stuff. It was piled thick on the sides of the road where the plows had shoved it. Kids were throwing it at each other. Cars were slip-sliding around on it. The only safe haven was the sidewalk they were walking down, and she kept skidding on the salt they’d used to get rid of the ice.
    It was everywhere.
    Not that she’d expected any different, coming here in winter. This was just a light dusting according to the locals. Everywhere she went people were complaining it wasn’t enough. She had to get out of here before it got worse. And it would get worse.
    It could get so much worse.
    Kate jumped over a patch of snow clinging to a crack in the sidewalk. It was like the world was icy at its core, and the snow was leaking through the cracks.
    “Some people actually like it,” said the man walking beside her. “They come here for that foul, nasty, white stuff.” She could hear the smile in his voice, but she’d warned him she didn’t like the snow before he’d dragged her up here. It was a little hard to say no to Rick Hutton, partly because he was her boss, but a little because he was so charming. “The client just wants you here for a few days and then it’s back to beach weather in time for Christmas.” He made eye contact. “I swear I’ll get you back by Christmas. I’m sure you have family…”
    Kate blinked back a sudden stinging in her eyes. It was the season. She only got emotional about her family, or lack of a family really, around Christmas. “No. Not family I’m close to or visit. I’m just anxious to be out of the cold.”
    Rick smiled and gestured to a nearby restaurant. “I can help with that at least temporarily,” he said, holding the door open for her. The last seven years she’d practically been in cold storage when it came to men. The warmth from his hand on her back as they navigated through the waiting area didn’t feel…unwelcome.
    It was easier to avoid attachments when no one was interested. Rick had been visiting their division of the company more than warranted, and especially more than anyone expected the CEO to visit. There’d been talk around her office, but she’d dismissed it, explaining he was just a nice guy.
    Maybe she shouldn’t have disregarded it, because the looks he’d been giving her were heated—defrosting.
    The restaurant had high ceilings and exposed wooden beams. It was meant to look like the inside of a ski lodge—and she certainly approved of the wave of heat that had welcomed her when they’d walked in.
    Rick’s gaze never left her while they waited to be seated. A rush of awareness heated her cheeks and made her look away. It had been a long time since she’d gotten that look, and he was her boss. Her boss.
    Rick’s shirt was probably a week’s salary for her, but he casually yanked off his tie and stuffed it in his pocket, unbuttoning the top button. Everything about him always radiated polish. Then he’d smile, and every woman in the company from the receptionist to upper management wanted to be the one taking that tie off. That smile that made every woman breathe a little faster was thrown about indiscriminately, but he always looked like he was