Free A Crazy Kind of Love by Maureen Child Page B

her name, then took the package. She shut the door on the kid and leaned back against it. Holding the package carefully in both hands, she studied it warily and told herself she ought to just throw it out.
    Cash Hunter
.
    “What the hell is he sending me?” she asked the empty room. “And
why
?”
    She lifted the box and listened for a second or two just to make sure it wasn’t ticking. Then she laughed. Of course it wasn’t a bomb. “Cash doesn’t blow women up. He breaks ’em down.”
    She pushed away from the door and carried the package to the couch. Dropping the box on the coffeetable, she sat down and flipped the TV on, deliberately ignoring the box. “Not me, though. He’s not getting to me.”
    On the TV, a husband gave his wife a new dishwasher with a bright red ribbon on it. “Gifts. Hah! If a man gave me a dishwasher, I’d stuff his lifeless body inside it and shove it off a cliff.”
    Okay, maybe she needed to calm down a little.
    On the other hand, how the hell could she calm down when her archnemesis was invading her space via UPS?
    She glanced at the package again. It might as well have been ticking. Its very presence in the room was disturbing. Annoying. Irritating. She’d never been able to stand against an unopened box. As a kid, she’d hunted down her Christmas presents way ahead of time and opened them all before rewrapping them. She just didn’t like surprises. She wanted to
know
.
    Like now.
    The box was taunting her.
    And damn it, she couldn’t stand it.
    Tossing the remote, she grabbed the box and ripped the package open, cursing at the strapping tape until she managed to wrest it free. “The only reason I’m opening this,” she muttered, as if apologizing to the universe at large, “is I can’t
not
open it. Fine. I’m weak. Shoot me.”
    When she had one end open, she tipped the box onto its side. A thick yellow and black book fell onto her lap. She took one look at the title and a spurt of fury shot through her like water from a fire hose.
    She dropped the damn thing when she jumped to herfeet and, wouldn’t you know it, the book landed faceup, so she could still see the title, in thick white and yellow letters.
    “You bastard.” She kicked it and watched as it slid across the carpet.
    Cash Hunter thought he could take something she’d told him in private and turn it into a
joke
? He thought it was
funny
? She’s drowning and he’s enjoying the show?
    “You self-serving, sanctimonious tower of testosterone,” Jo grumbled as she crossed the room to pick up the blasted book. “I’ll get you for this. Seriously.”
    Still scowling, she looked down at the book and thought about driving over to his place and launching the thick volume at his head. But it probably wasn’t heavy enough to make a dent. A hammer then. She’d throw a hammer.
    “But not my good one,” she said, disgusted, as she dropped onto the couch. “My
old
one. You’re not worthy of a brand-new hammer.”
    Imagining Cash flat on his back with a huge knot rising on his forehead calmed her down long enough to allow her to snatch up the book, open it, and flip through the pages quickly. Okay, maybe she should at least
look
at it. But she was still mad and, damn it, he was going to hear about this. Soon.
    For now though, she checked the table of contents on
Astronomy for Dummies
.
    Lucas concentrated on the road.
    It was much better than thinking about the womansitting next to him in the car. She was being too quiet. In the two months he’d known her, he’d seen Mike furious, amused, thoughtful, and, God knew, intrusive. But he’d yet to see her so damn silent.
    Unsettling.
    But then, that kiss had been pretty damn unsettling, too. His body stirred, but he ruthlessly quashed the hot ball of lust bouncing around inside him. Wasn’t easy, but the last thing he needed was to let Mike even further into his life. Although at the moment, all he could think about was laying her down on the big bed they’d