Breathless Read Online Free Page A

might
bite my head off if I didn’t.”
    “You thought
right.” She took the tray from him and backtracked to the coffee
table. She settled into her deep, microfiber sectional. “Mmm, do I
smell blueberry scones?”
    “Yeah, I
thought you might wanna join me for a run to work them off?” he
said, chuckling as he closed the door.
    Jasmine
wrinkled her nose. He’d hauled her butt out of bed on her day off
and he expected her to go for a run? Not gonna happen. “You know I
work out every day before work. I’m not going for a run on my day
off. I’m not in training for the Olympics, ya know.”
    Den was a
firefighter and since physical fitness was a job requirement, he
often spent his days off in the gym. That was a luxury Jasmine
couldn’t afford working sixty hours every week.
    Den said, “It
wouldn’t kill you to get a few extra miles in.” He laughed when she
glared at him. “Not that I’m implying you need to lose weight. The
exact opposite, in fact. Mama thinks you’re not eating enough. She
said I should invite you over and feed you.”
    Jasmine rolled
her eyes and bit into her favorite indulgence, warm with butter,
just the way she liked it. Her parents meant well, but they were
too overprotective. When she’d announced she was moving to Los
Angeles to pursue a modeling career, they’d nearly had a collective
coronary. They called her every night to make sure she hadn’t
“fallen victim to one of those crazies.” “I hope you told them I’m
fine.”
    “Are you?” Den
sat at the other end of the sectional. “I heard about Brent getting
engaged.”
    “So that’s why
you’re here?” Den was usually too busy juggling his own active
social life to give much thought to hers, but he knew how she’d
felt about Brent. She smiled as she wiped her mouth with a napkin.
“I went out and got drunk last night. Tequila shots at Jimmy’s with
Nellie.”
    “Oh God,” Den
groaned. “That must have been a disaster.”
    She laughed,
wincing when it hurt her head. Jasmine didn’t have much experience
with hangovers. If her brother really wanted to help her, he could
give her a few pointers on how to feel human again. “Eli came to my
rescue.”
    “Doesn’t he
always?” Den said and gave Jasmine a pointed look. Eli and Den had
been friends since high school. It was no secret Den wanted his
sister to stop dragging her feet and make Eli an official part of
their family. The new woman in Eli’s life meant both Den and her
parents would have to let go of that fantasy.
    “He’s seeing
someone.” She ignored the little pang in her chest. “A divorced
lawyer he met through Brent’s fiancée’s dating service.” They
exchanged a look and Jasmine knew they were thinking the same
thing: Eli didn’t need help finding dates. There was no shortage of
puck bunnies willing to keep him company. If he was tiring of them,
it could only mean one thing: He was ready to settle down.
    “Is that so? Is
it serious?” Den snagged the last scone before taking the second
cup of coffee from the tray.
    “It must be.
He’s taking her to meet his family today.”
    “Wow.” Den
whistled under his breath. “He hasn’t taken a girl home in… Hell, I
can’t even remember the last time he took a girl home.”
    “Yeah, me
neither.” Jasmine wiped butter from her fingers with a paper napkin
and tossed it on the end table. She was usually meticulous about
keeping her condo spotless, but she would clean up later. The news
that Brent was marrying Ava had hit her hard, but not as hard as
the news that Eli was moving on… and leaving her behind.
    “How do you
feel about that, sis?”
    “I don’t know.”
She pulled her legs up and rested her chin on her knees. She’d
barely had the energy last night to pull on an old T-shirt and pair
of sweat pants before she fell into bed, but she was grateful she’d
gone to the effort. She felt a chill move through her body, all the
way through to the tips of her toes.
    “He’s been