Free A Stolen Chance by Linda LaRoque

you like them.”
    “Like? They’re better than I ever expected to be able to afford.”
    Before he could say more, Gina dragged a chair from another table, slid close to him, and pressed a breast against his arm. “Can I see?”
    He pushed back and moved the laptop over to where she could see clearly. Why did the woman have to be so blatant in her aggression? If she thought he liked her rubbing up against him, she was wrong. He glanced up to see if Shannon had observed the incident. If so, she didn’t let on. Now, if it had been Shannon’s breast... He jerked his eyes from Shannon’s chest to his coffee cup.
    Gina squealed. “Oh, I like this one. Can you put it on the site?” She turned to Carson, grabbed his bicep and squeezed. “Please.” She pointed. “There’s Joe and Randy. They’ll be impressed to be on the Internet.”
    It was a picture of the waitress serving coffee to a group of the men regulars. Every morning they sat at the same table, drank coffee, and solved the world’s problems. He had to admit they enjoyed Gina’s banter, and she didn’t back down when they ribbed her.
    “What do you think, Shannon?”
    He watched for any sign of dislike for Gina in Shannon’s expression. Nothing. If anything, her eyes lit with humor at Gina’s desire to be included in the photos selected.
    Shannon leaned forward to study the photograph. “It’s a good picture, artistically balanced. You might want to check with the customers to see if they mind being on your webpage.”
    Gina swatted his arm. “They won’t care. They’ll be tickled.”
    Carson doubted they’d mind, but he would check with the men. He swallowed a chuckle. Seeing Joe the supersized biker tickled would be fun to see. “Fine with me, then, if there is room.”
    Gina flounced off, a happy grin on her face. The woman did crave attention. He hoped one day she didn’t invite interest from the wrong kind of man. He lifted his java to his lips and took a healthy swig.
    “How’d you get her into a bra?”
    He gasped, taking the coffee down in one large swallow that burned his throat. Heat rose in his face as he coughed and struggled to hide his discomfort.
    Shannon grabbed napkins from the holder and handed them to him. He wiped his mouth and took a sip of water. She chuckled. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to cause you to choke.”
    Carson waved a hand. “No problem. Your question was just unexpected.” Hell, he was downright shocked at her brazen inquiry. “Uh, Leona handled the situation.”
    “Hmm, I don’t imagine she minced words.”
    Suddenly, the situation struck him as hilarious. A laugh burst from his throat and echoed across the room.
    People glanced their way and grinned, Gina among them, though she didn’t appear pleased. Surely the woman didn’t know the subject of their humor. No, she hadn’t been near enough to overhear.
    “No...no, she didn’t.” He leaned in and whispered, “Told her if she wanted to see tits flopping around, she’d go to the barn and observe the cows. Said to either put on a bra or don’t come back.”
    Shannon giggled, and Carson knew his smile grew with each chuckle. She clapped her hand over her mouth. “We shouldn’t be laughing at her expense.”
    He sobered. “You’re right. I told Leona she’d been a bit harsh, but she insisted she’d already told Gina once. Guess she didn’t like having to say it again.”
    Shannon closed her laptop and transferred it to the bag by her feet. “I better get to work. I’ll have something for you to approve in a couple of days.”
    “No need to rush.” No need at all. He enjoyed having this woman around. The longer she stayed, the happier he’d be.
    ****
    Susan stretched and flopped onto her back in the queen-sized bed, kicking off the covers in the process. No matter how much she twisted and turned, she couldn’t get comfortable. For some reason the cabin’s thermostat wasn’t working correctly tonight. It was either too hot or too cold in the