Free All I Want by Natalie Ann Page A

down at her own jeans. Being so short, she only had one pair that she could actually wear sneakers or flats with, and she had them on last week. Unfortunately they now boasted a paint stain on them. So she was forced to wear her second-favorite pair, the ones Brynn called her sexy jeans.
    These jeans were dark washed, fitted, but stretchy so they didn’t look tight, and were pretty comfortable on top of it. But they were long on her. Long enough that Carly was forced to wear extremely high heels so as to not walk on the hem of the jeans. Because of that, she kept her top simple, just a light yellow sweater, and she kept her hair down, her bangs swept to the side as always.
    “Thanks, you too.”
    He chuckled at her. Oh well, she tried. She guessed men weren’t used to a woman saying they looked nice if they were just wearing jeans.
    Holding his hand out for her to proceed, she stepped forward and felt his fingers brush against her side and had all she could do not to gasp. Sensations of feathers brushing along her arm causing chills to race through her body encased her.
    “Are you cold?”
    Crap. Darn him for noticing the goose bumps. “No. I’m good. Just had a chill. I get them sometimes.”
    He smiled at her, all tender and sweet, with mischief behind his eyes, like he knew she was fibbing. He rushed forward and opened the car door for her. He must have noticed the surprised look on her face. “Remember, three older sisters.”
    Snickering, she actually was warming up. The nerves were starting to lessen too. “That had to be hard growing up?”
    “I could say no, but it would be lying and I don’t want to start off on the wrong foot.”
    Wasn’t that sweet? “So what was the worst part about it all?”
    “A toss-up between never having privacy and never being able to make a decision on my own. Someone was always telling me what to do and how I should do it.”
    He said it so sweetly, with love in his eyes, he had to be joking, so she tested the waters. “And someone is still doing that, right?”
    “How’d you guess? In fact, my mother called me today to say she was sending me soup, cookies and beer. She’s afraid I’m wasting away here.”
    “Beer?” she asked. That seemed like an odd combination.
    “I had to ask for the beer. My father brews and I’m missing his beer. The soup and cookies were coming whether I said I wanted them or not. And it will be enough to feed me several meals. I still have cookies left from the week before that Anna sent me.”
    “Anna?” she asked, hoping that was a sister.
    “My oldest sister. She’s just like my mother, always sending me food. Kristy, my middle sister, doesn’t send me food so much, rather she is always calling to find out what’s going on in my life and telling me about her life. My youngest sister, Melissa, is the mildest of the bunch, but just as pushy. She sends me food a few times a year, unlike my mother and Anna, who do it monthly, if not weekly.”
    “I thought you knew how to cook?”
    “I do. And I cook well, but they still think I’m five and they need to feed me. It’s a good thing I live hours away; otherwise I’d weigh a lot more.”
    Her eyes roamed over his body. No, she didn’t think he’d weigh more; he just took too good care of himself. “Then I guess it’s a good thing you live here.”
    He smirked at her, almost as if he knew where her mind had drifted. “If my guess is correct, I’ll have plenty of potato and ham soup, along with easily a dozen double chocolate cookies next week. Plenty enough for two. I could return the favor and have you over for dinner.”
    “That sounds nice. Of course, that still doesn’t prove to me you can cook,” she said teasing a laugh out of him. Okay, warming up even more now, more like herself again. Good start; keep it up, she reminded herself.
    “Very true. We’ll have to try that for another night. How about this? I’ll throw together a salad and make some bread. Does that