Free Hen Party 1 (Hen Party #1) by Ashlyn Brady Page A

heart against his ribs called for him to sink into this special moment with her. He gazed at the wild beauty of her messy appearance. Her mane of glossy chestnut hair had a wind-blown look from chasing Maddy around the furniture in the lounge.
    He took in the smear of ruby gloss on her trembling lips and her teary eyes. Her smoky makeup intensified the usual color of her eyes, brownish when she was in control of herself and greenish when her passion was ignited. How would it feel to kiss the upset out of her hazel eyes?
    “If you don’t tell me why you’re following me around, I won’t believe another word you say to me,” she said, giving his arms a shake.
    He crossed his arms and wrapped his fingers around her slender wrists to calm her flightiness. “I’m here because I want to get to know you. That’s the truth,” he said. “I don’t want to miss any of your big moments.”
    “My big moments,” she spluttered. “So my takedowns are your entertainment for the night. You’re no better than Maddy.” She dropped her arms to the side of her body. “You’re a flawed man, and I’ve lost my taste for insincere douches.”
    What was she accusing him of? His heart bounced all over the place as she raced toward the open grill gates at the back of the restaurant. She was leaving. He was losing her. He took to his heels and reached the exit first. There he stood, with his back against the brick pillar and his ankles crossed in the walk-way. “Where are you going?”
    She marched up to him. “Anywhere away from you is a better place to be.”
    He took the insult on the chin, recognizing the signs of a sizzling temper stoked by the clash of their strong personalities. “I can help you jump off the hamster wheel,” he said in a steely voice.
    “What an incredible offer to fix me,” she snapped.
    “I don’t fix women.” He held out his hand to her. “I dare you to ride out the storm at the party with me.”
    She shook his hand. “Thanks for the invitation, but I have other plans right now, and you’re not part of them.” She torched him with her flaming eyes before she let go of his fingers. “I’m going to skid off the hamster wheel sideways, and I don’t care if it’s a rough landing. I’ve got nothing left to lose. Go home, Joe!”
    Her abrupt dismissal gave him no choice but to turn up the heat to change her mind about him. His gaze dropped to her stunning bust. “Are you coming home with me?”
    Her face paled. She opened and closed her mouth but no words came out. Mossy green was the color of her eyes when she said, “If I remembering correctly, the next step in Maddy’s intervention is for you to get me out of my knickers.” The words lashed out of her like a whip.
    He took another step nearer. “Is that a round-about way of saying I’m the man with the know-how?” He opened his arms to her. “I’m ready for action. Watch your ankles and don’t trip over your lingerie.”
    She gasped, and the blood rushed back to her face into two crimson splotches on her cheeks. “As if I’ve lost my brain and would leave the hotel with a stranger who’s shadowing me?”
    “I could show you how much I like you with a kiss?” he said, laying on the charm.
    “Huh?” She screwed up her cute nose as though it was a weird idea out of left field, but he knew better. If she didn’t want to take their sparking chemistry to the next level, she would have been long gone from his side.
    He reached for both of her hands and took them in his. “A kiss is an honest way of saying I like you the way you are. Don’t change to please your critics.” He swung her arms from side to side before saying, “Well, at least not before I loosen you up, or you’ll spoil the fun.” He let go of her.
    “How dare you try to sleaze onto me?” She hooked her right arm up high and her hand sliced through the air to knock his head off. He leant back quickly and dropped his chin to his chest.
    She stumbled forward with