04 Naked Games Read Online Free Page B

big, dangerous man, but she couldn’t make out what. Catherine froze in place as he approached her. He had the same dark hair as Wade. She couldn’t help noticing he appeared to be a little more muscular than Wade though. The black T-shirt seemed to be straining to contain him. And he looked almost angry. His dark brown eyes stared at her as if he wanted her gone. Like yesterday.
    “Catherine, I’d like you to meet Dean, Wade’s younger brother and Deanna’s twin.”
    This was the sweet-natured brother that Gracie had talked about? Really? The man in front of her didn’t seem to fit the description at all.
    “It’s nice to meet you, Catherine,” Dean said as he stepped forward and extended his hand.
    She hesitated a second, and she watched his gaze narrow. Feeling challenged for some odd reason, Catherine stiffened her spine and plastered on a smile. Taking his hand in her own, she gave it a firm shake before replying, “It’s nice to meet you too. Gracie has told me a lot about you.”
    He didn’t release her right away, and Catherine couldn’t understand why her body began to riot out of control. She took the initiative and tugged. A slow, sexy smile changed his entire demeanor. For an instant Catherine couldn’t look away. It wasn’t until he let go of her that she was able to pull her attention back to Gracie and Wade.
    She was stunned to realize Gracie had said something. Unfortunately, the only thing Catherine had heard was the sound of her own heart galloping. “I’m sorry?” She glanced over at Dean and saw the knowing smirk on his face. She itched to smack it off.
    “I was saying that Jonas and Deanna will be along shortly. For now, I thought I could put on a pot of coffee and we could talk?”
    “Sounds wonderful. The flight seemed extra long. Maybe that’s because I haven’t had a decent cup of coffee since leaving Georgia.”
    Gracie went behind the counter and started rinsing the carafe. “I wish you would’ve let Wade and me pick you up at the airport. We really didn’t mind.”
    “I know, but it’s fine. Plus, I managed to rent a very pretty red coupe. I love the little thing already.” She didn’t say it, but she’d needed the time alone to shore up her nerve. As sweet as Gracie had been in the many phone calls and in the e-mails they’d shared, Catherine had still worried that she’d change her mind about wanting to meet her.
    As if sensing the train of Catherine’s thoughts, Gracie turned and said, “Well, just so you know, I’m really glad you came. I’m glad you got in contact with me. And I’m really glad that I have a sister.”
    “Me too,” she said, her eyes stinging a little. Sister, wow. There it was again. She’d never get used to it. Then she remembered the letters tucked into her purse. “Oh! I nearly forgot about the letters.”
    Gracie held up a hand. “No rush. We can get to them later. We have plenty of time.”
    “Yeah, we’ll get to those later,” Dean added. When she looked over at him, she saw the truth written all over his face. He didn’t believe her. Didn’t trust her. For some odd reason the knowledge hurt.

4
    D ean didn’t want to be attracted to Catherine, but damn if that wasn’t exactly what was going on. Her Southern accent was sexy as hell, but she had a slightly snooty attitude, as if he didn’t deserve to breathe the same air as her. The thought pissed him off. If anyone should be grateful, it should be her. He didn’t trust her. Didn’t believe for a second that she was only here to visit her long-lost sister. There was more to it, and he intended to find out what it was.
    The instant he’d seen her picture on Gracie’s computer he’d been intrigued by her. She had an innocent look to her. As if she’d been sheltered from life’s dirtier side. But Dean knew that looks could be deceiving. He’d expressed his concern to Wade, but his brother wouldn’t listen to reason. As far as he was concerned, Catherine was who she