Free One Night of Misbehavior by Shelley Munro Page A

can’t accept a wage,” Charlotte said. “Because I can’t work set hours.”
    Damn. He’d hope she’d accept a wage. Never mind, he’d get around that somehow.
    “But I’ll take a reference,” she said. “If you think I deserve one.”
    “Deal,” Ash said.
    “Knock. Knock.” The loud voice floated up the stairs.
    “Good. Esther is here. You can go and buy that phone now. Keep her out until at least three,” Ivy said.
    “That’s a lot of gossip,” Ash said.
    “But you might need me,” Charlotte protested. “Last time I went out you ended up in hospital.”
    “Which wasn’t your fault. You need to get out in the fresh air,” Ivy said.
    “But—”
    “I need a break too,” Ivy said. “We’re not going to do anything silly. Esther will help me write letters to my friends, and we’ll talk about scrapbooking.”
    When Charlotte looked about to protest again, Ash stood. He plucked a business card from his wallet and set it on the bedside drawer. “Here’s my card. Get Esther to ring me if you need Charlotte. Charlotte, if it’s okay with you, we’ll go back to my place after we’ve bought you a phone. My laptop is there and we can get started on the campaign. We’ll grab a sandwich or something.” He congratulated himself on the casual tone. Good job keeping the wicked wolf part of him buried . While he would do some work, he also intended to kiss Charlotte stupid at the first opportunity. More, if he could get away with it. “Is that all right with you?”
    “Okay.” She hugged Esther when she entered the bedroom and ran through the medication, setting the alarm for the next round of pills. “Ring me if you need anything.”
    Ash waited patiently, stooping to kiss Ivy on her wrinkled cheek.
    “You look after her,” Ivy whispered, her fingernails digging into his arm to punctuate her order. “Or I’ll tell your grandmother when I write to her today.”
    “I promise.” Aha! Proof of the great setup . He fought to restrain his grin.
    “I’ll be back at three,” Charlotte told Esther.
    Esther settled her ample frame on the chair beside Gran’s bed and whisked off her sunhat to reveal a helmet of black hair. She waved a bejeweled hand at Charlotte in dismissal. “You take your time, dear. We’ll be fine.”
    “Give me five minutes to change,” Charlotte said.
    “You’re fine as you are,” he said, his swift glance taking in her faded blue jeans and her tight-fitting T-shirt. “Grab your laptop, and we’ll head off.”
    “Maybe I’ll get shoes,” she said.
    Ash grinned. “Good idea.”
    Ten minutes later, he pulled up outside a store specializing in phones, the purchase taking mere minutes since Charlotte knew what she wanted—a prepaid phone capable of doing the basics.
    “No Facebook or Twitter?” he asked.
    “I don’t have time,” she said. “Gran has a Facebook page to connect with her friends, and I helped her with that. Does your client have a website?”
    “No, but they should get one. We can add that into our campaign ideas for them.”
    Despite the desire pushing against his skin, he kept his hands to himself. Once they stepped inside his house all bets were off.
    His house keys jingled as he pushed the right key into the lock. He ignored the betraying tell, merely pushing the door open and entering to turn off the security alarm.
    “Come in,” he said, closing the door behind her. “We’ll work in the dining room.” He led the way, not willing to walk behind her in case his wavering control snapped. Just a few steps farther .
    She placed her laptop on the gleaming top of the wooden table and gave his house—the parts she could see—a curious glance. “Nice,” she said, blinking when she turned to find him a hairbreadth away.
    “God, I missed you.” Before she could respond, he grasped her shoulders pulling the weight of her body against him. His lips covered hers and he was lost, drowning in her taste and scent. He was vaguely aware of hands