Secured Heart (Timberon Cat Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

didn’t have to be said who Kal was talking about.
“ Yes and no.” She passed him the water and went and sat down on her couch. It had been a long night and her feet—and mind—were both tired.
He arched an eyebrow and drank his water.
All his silent macho attitude was beginning to grate on her nerves. “Look, Kal, it has been years since I’ve seen you. Years.” She threw up a hand. “Hell, we were friends then. Just friends. You made sure I understood tha-t.” She swallowed down more wine trying to cover up her emotions.
Moving closer to her, he sat down on the center cushion as he set his empty glass on a coaster on the coffee table. “Back then it was important for me to keep you at a distance.”
“ It doesn’t matter. We are friends. Have always been friends. Maybe that should be how it stays.” She stared down into her wine. It broke her heart.
“ The hell it should.” His words were calm, blunt, lacking in vehemence but not intensity.
“ What is the difference between now and when we were in college? You have a lack of women chasing you?” Her glass clinked against the wood of the table as she set it down.
“ No.” He didn’t even crack a smile.
She figured that meant that he wasn’t settling for her and in some weird way that made her feel good and warm inside. Maybe it was because in college she always felt like he would never consider her or look in her direction with anything other than fondness until he’d screwed every co-ed at the university. So, knowing that he was sniffing around her when he could be with someone else did make her a little giddy. A little.
This wasn’t college and she wasn’t a silly little girl anymore, waiting on a man’s crumbs.
“ Well, it doesn’t matter. This…” she pointed from him to her. “Is not going to happen.”
Never taking his gaze off her, he leaned back against the couch appearing comfortable. “Talk to me, mate.” He covered one of her hands resting in her lap.
Unable to keep from staring, she glanced down at their hands, different in their complexions and size. As a small-framed woman, her hand seemed dwarfed by his larger one. He had a wide hand, with blunt nails and a few faded scars from God only knew what. She knew that he’d provided defense in Afghanistan for a couple years, but she was sure there was a lot more story and history there. With Kal, there always was.
She had to push away the security and joy she experienced in his touch. Not wanting to be rude and because she did miss her friend, she didn’t pull her hand away. Instead she suffered through his touch.
Glancing up at him, she said, “Don’t call me that.”
“ Mate?” He linked his fingers with hers.
Too late to pull away now without making a big production of it. “Yes. Mate. That’s not me.”
His chuckle was low, it rumbled. “Oh, but you are.”
Shifting so that her back was in the corner of her couch she stared at him. “I don’t plan to debate this with you.”
“ Then tell me about this Ben guy. Where did you meet him?”
“ At a coffee shop, believe it or not. It was one of those days where everyone in the world gets up for coffee. I was standing in a long line and made a comment about something that was going on during the state election. Ben responded with an opposite opinion. I didn’t know he was behind me. I turned and asked him about his thoughts on the subject. An hour later we both had our drinks, his an herbal tea and mine—”
“ Caramel espresso, heavy cream.”
Slowly she closed her gaping mouth. “That’s right.”
A crooked smile tilted his lips as he brushed the back of her hand with his thumb. “During midterms and finals you wanted to study at my apartment because of my espresso machine.”
She scrunched the bridge of her nose. “Oh, gracious…”
“ Oh, there’s more.” He teased as he released her hand and turned his body so that he was fully facing her. His knee was bent, almost touching her hip and he rested his arm