Storm Front (Reunited Hearts) Read Online Free Page B

some of that intensity from when they’d known each other before, but
it had gotten even more powerful over the years as he’d matured into the man he
was today.
    She
knew what he wanted. She wasn’t a fool, and she wasn’t inexperienced. She had a
relatively active social life, although it had been a year since she’d had a
real boyfriend. She was, however, perfectly capable of identifying the
particular blaze she saw in his eyes.
    He
wanted to take her to bed, and the truth was she wanted it too. He’d been a
considerate, passionate lover seven years ago, and her attraction for him
hadn’t diminished at all.
    But
something inside her resisted being another one-night-stand for him.
    Michael
wasn’t relationship material for her. He was well-known as a player, and she
didn’t always agree with his business ethics. Plus, the fact that she was a
reporter and he’d admitting to hating them would be an impassable obstacle.
    Her
body wanted him. No doubt about that. But she rarely let her body’s impulses
control her decisions. She was happy with her life—her job, her circle of
friends, her city, and all of her dreams. She wasn’t going to disrupt
everything for one good fuck.
    She
put the dishes in the sink and turned on the water to rinse them out. She was
shivering a little, but she didn’t know if it was from an excess of feeling or
from being wet for so long. It wasn’t particularly cold outside, but the house
felt cool and damp. “You know, just in case, it might be a good idea for us to
fill up a couple of the bathtubs with water. That’s what they say to do, in
case the water goes out.”
    “Sure.
It couldn’t hurt. Hopefully, we won’t need it.” He paused. “Are you cold?”
    “A
little. I can find a blanket when we’re done in here.”
    “I
saw a fireplace in the front room with some cut wood beside it. I don’t know
what the condition of the wood is, but maybe we could get a fire going.”
    “Sounds
good.” She wanted to get away from him for a little while, so she turned off
the water in the sink. “I’ll fill up bathtubs if you want to work on the fire.”
    When
she’d filled up three of the five bathtubs in the house, she returned to the
living room to find Michael poking at a blazing fire.
    It
was getting darker outside, and the rain was still coming down in sheets. The
ceaseless wind made a howling sound and clattered at the windows. The violence
of the weather made Allison anxious, even knowing the storm wasn’t as bad as it
could be.
    She
picked up a wool throw from a side chair and wrapped up in it on the couch.
“Good job with the fire,” she said, determined to be friendly and natural.
“How’s your head?”
    “It
feels fine.” Michael turned to glance at her over his shoulder, his skin
glowing orange-red from the fire in the shadowed room.
    “Seriously,
Michael. I know concussions can sometimes be tricky. Are you dizzy? Do you
still have a headache?”
    “No
to the dizziness. Yes to the headache. But it’s not bad anymore.” He met her
eyes evenly. “I’m fine, Allison.”
    She
nodded, satisfied that he was telling her the truth.
    He
looked unusually casual in his t-shirt, jeans and bare feet. Almost like he was
someone other than Michael Martin—unstoppable business force and unflappable
sex god.
    Right
now, he looked almost human. And as sexy as any man she’d ever seen.
    Allison
reminded herself of her reasoned conclusions about resisting a one-night-stand,
and she tried not to focus on the smooth breadth of his shoulders and the lean
strength of his legs.
    She
sucked in a sharp gasp as he got up and seated himself on the couch beside her,
much closer than she would have preferred.
    “Michael,”
she began, wishing she didn’t sound quite so breathless.
    He
reached out and gently tucked a stray strand of her damp hair behind her ear,
his knuckles grazing her overly warm cheek as he did. “Allison.”
    She
felt herself leaning toward him, unable to look away