Falling Hard Read Online Free

as I smiled, I swallowed my disappointment that she was so willing to believe that he’d actually sent her the roses.
     
    The sooner I realized fantasizing about her was a waste of my time, the less likely I'd end up with a broken heart.
     
    She sniffed the roses and smiled at me. “You look hungry.”
     
    “I am, unfortunately cooking isn't what I do best.”
     
    “Then aren't you lucky that I'm pretty good at it?”
     
    “You can cook?”
     
    She nodded. “Did you think I was just another pretty face?”
     
    I shrugged. “I'll be the judge of whether you can actually cook or are just another pretty face,” I told her.
     
    She tossed her head, sending her hair cascading around her shoulders. “Then go wash your hands and then come into the kitchen to see what delights I've prepared for you.”
     
    After finishing in the bathroom, I followed her into the kitchen where the table was set for two.
     
    She turned from the stove to smile at me. “Sit down and get ready to enjoy.”
     
    I sat. And since she had prepared a delicious meal, I enjoyed both the meal and listening to her.
     
    The roses had really seemed to lift her spirits. She smiled frequently as she talked about the future she hoped to share with Jim.
     
    I swallowed hard. It really was uncool to be jealous of my own brother. But seated across from her, noticing the graceful way she held her fork, and how her full lips barely touched the rim of her glass when she brought it to her mouth, made it difficult to keep my gaze from lingering on her. But that's what I needed to do because her voice was filled with hope and excitement. Her eyes sparkled.
     
    She was so beautiful. I loved everything about her and couldn’t think of a better way to spend my evening.
     
    “You're going to make Jim a very happy man,” I told her.
     
    “Do you think so?”
     
    I nodded.
     
    She reached across the table to grip my hand. “I'm going to do my best. I know we should have taken precautions, but I don't regret having his baby and I'm looking forward to being a mother and a wife.”
     
    I doubted Jim had any immediate plans to marry her, but maybe I was wrong. I smiled. “I'm sure you'll be an excellent mother and make Jim a very happy man.”
     
    After dinner we washed the dishes together and then sat in the living room watching TV. Or rather she watched TV. I watched her whenever I safely could. Later that night, I took a cool shower and then lay in bed trying not to think about her before I finally fell asleep. I think knowing that she was thinking about Jim and not me helped.
     

Chapter Three
     
     
    I got better at hiding my feelings from her and we settled into a routine. I spent my days working hard and looking forward to going home to her at night. We had dinner together each night and sometimes watched TV or a rented movie. On Friday nights, I got to unwind by going for a long, moonlight drive with her beside me after dinner.
     
    After blowing off Ryan's attempts to get me to spend the night at our favorite strip club in the city, I arrived home one Friday night to find her sitting in the darkened living room. I left the overhead light off, but turned on one of the floor lamps before kneeling on the carpet in front of her. “Tanya? What’s wrong?”
     
    She shook her head. “Nothing.”
     
    “You're sitting in the dark. Something's wrong.”
     
    She shrugged. “I’m just wondering.”
     
    I glanced at the coffee table. A vase of roses sat there. “Wondering what? You don't like roses anymore?”
     
    “I love roses.”
     
    “Then what's wrong?”
     
    “Oh, Tom,” she whispered. “Don't you know?”
     
    My heartbeat raced. What was she trying to tell me? “Know what?”
     
    She slipped out of the chair and into my arms. “It’s been four whole weeks!”
     
    Was she starting to feel something for me? Had the long drives and the shared dinners finally let her see me as a man instead of just Tom's brother?