Heart of the Music (Saints & Sinners #1) Read Online Free Page A

up a strawberry before turning to him. “Okay, I’m going to have breakfast here every day. I didn’t know you could cook.” There was nothing the man standing in front of her couldn’t do. It was unsettling to think that some other woman would get this treatment the next time they were home. That stung, even though she had no right to claim this privilege.
    “My mom figured we could use some skills to impress women. So, impressed yet?” She knew he was teasing her, and she loved every second of it. She wasn’t about to tell him that anything he did impressed her, so she took a bite out of one of the pancakes and moaned softly. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
    “These are so good,” she said blissfully, shoving another piece into her mouth. “Now that I know you can make these, I’m going to ask for these every morning.” The man could seriously cook; she would have to remember that and make use of it any chance she got.
    “Anytime, babe, just ask.” Jarrod sole focus was on her, his gaze intense; it felt as if he was seeing right through her. She tore her eyes away from him because if he saw what she was hiding, if he caught a glimpse of her feelings for him, nothing would ever be the same, and that just couldn’t happen.
     
    Present Day
    Patricia
     
    She woke up the next morning sprawled across a warm, toned body, her head on a solid chest with an arm around her waist and their legs intertwined. For a minute, she thought she was dreaming, and then the memories of the night before hit her. With one swift movement, she was off the bed. Frozen, she stood and watched him as he slept. How was this a good idea? The barriers around her heart crumbled as he stirred and his eyes opened, and that scared her to death. This was exactly what she had been avoiding for the past five years.
    “Good morning.” Jarrod’s voice sent shivers racing through her body. Primal hunger darkened his eyes, and in that moment, she realized she was standing in front of one of the sexiest men in country music with tousled hair, no makeup, and wearing an old T-shirt, which didn’t hide much. She couldn’t help but think back to that morning years ago when he gave her the shirt. After a long night in the studio, she had fallen asleep on the sofa and he had tucked her into bed in his spare bedroom with one of his old tees. In the morning, she hadn’t been able to make herself give it back. Since then, every time she felt lonely or sad, she wore it.
    “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever woken up with such a beautiful woman. I might get used to waking up with you, Miss Monroe.” She wanted to believe him, God, she wanted to believe him with everything she had, but images of him and the multiple women he’d dated over the years flashed in front of her eyes, reminding her that she was nothing like them.
    She started laughing and she couldn’t get herself to stop. “Until a Victoria's Secret model comes along maybe.” She knew it was a low blow, but she needed some emotional distance from him. He threaten to tear down all of her resistance, and she knew if he succeeded, there would be no going back. The only thing that scared her more than taking this chance with him was the possibility of a broken heart she would never recover from.
    “Glad to see you think so highly of me there, Trish.” The hurt on his face made her ache. Even if he had his share of women, supermodels or not, she knew he never cheated, never led women on, and she admired that about him. He might have been with a lot of women, but he always made sure they knew exactly what to expect going in, and not once did he ever make any of them feel cheap or small.
    She climbed back into the bed and kissed him on the cheek, her body on autopilot. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
    She sat back, and was startled when he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him, her cheek touching his. There was something deeply intense about the way