Free On His List (Entangled Flirts) by Wendy Sparrow Page A

wearing it just for you. The only one who seemed immune was Kate—maybe that was the draw for him.
    Okay, she was mostly immune. It wasn’t just his smile, though that would have been enough—he was tall with dark brown hair that looked tousled, the art of a very expensive cut, and he had these brown eyes that reminded her of hot chocolate. Hot, hot, hot chocolate. She needed some of that—right away. The chocolate, not Rick. She couldn’t feel her toes in her wool-lined boots.
    “I can seat you next to the window,” the hostess said.
    “Near the fireplace. My friend is from Florida and doesn’t like the cold,” Rick said. “Please.” Rick’s smile really did it.
    “Well, okay.” She gestured for them to follow her. “My name is Cami, by the way,” she tossed over her shoulder—for Rick.
    Kate felt a little awkward and gangly in her layers of clothing—especially while following the young hostess in her painted-on dress, but she’d never stop shivering without all the layers.
    The roaring fire they headed towards nearly brought her to her knees. The heat actually permeated clear to her skin. She could kiss Rick for that. She wouldn’t, but it’d been a long time since a guy had made her hot—even if only literally.
    After seating them, the hostess lingered, unnecessarily, ridiculously. Rick gifted her with one last smile, and she asked him to come see her if he needed anything.
    “I vote we have a very long lunch,” Kate said, watching the fire in the gigantic stone fireplace beside her. It took up nearly the entire wall of the restaurant, and they were at the closest table. The flames licked upwards, tasting the air, and for a moment she could believe she was warm inside. Heaven. This was heaven. “We should order appetizers and something slow-roasted. I’ll even order dessert for no reason other than being able to sit here.” She pulled off her gloves—something she hadn’t believed she’d be doing the entire time she was in Denver.
    “See, I can keep you warm even in Denver, but it took DeWinters’ insistence on speaking with you in person to get you up here.” He smiled at her, and dimples appeared in both his cheeks. She fought a reaction to that smile, willed her heart to keep beating at normal speed.
    She shrugged, nicely casual. She could resist the lure of Rick. “I like Florida.”
    “Yes, but I’ve offered you a great opportunity in upper management—you’ll get out of that dark, dusty office of yours. I swear it looks better suited to a troll. I should have it remodeled over the holidays, but I’m hoping the thought of going back there makes you consider my offer.”
    On their last phone call, just before she’d come up here, he’d offered her a position she wasn’t entirely qualified for, but would be a brilliant career move.
    She’d just have to move. Physically. Here.
    A shiver vibrated down her spine at the thought of staying here. She couldn’t. She wouldn’t. She’d stayed out of his grasp for these seven years, but she could feel him in the bite in the air, hear a distant whisper on the frigid wind. He would come for her.
    “You might become acclimated.” Rick sounded skeptical even as he said it. “You can’t avoid the cold forever.”
    “I can damn well try. Besides, you have more qualified people up here.” Kate tucked her gloves away and glanced up at him in time to see the twitch of his lips in a smothered smile.
    “Maybe.”
    Okay, she’d have to be blind to miss his interest. She had her own reasons for not acting on it, but even as it was flattering, it was confusing. Sure, she’d lost all that college weight while managing to keep her curves, and she’d had a lot of guys tell her that her waist-length black hair and deep green eyes drove them crazy. None of that added up to the kind of ex-model trophy wife she’d assumed Rick would end up with. She was just Kate Finley, the girl who couldn’t wait to get back home to Sarasota, Florida, land