Surprised by Family: a Contemporary Romance Duet Read Online Free Page B

was unexpectedly delectable.
    Baron was startled when his body responded slightly to the curve of her lips, her neck, her hips.
    How could she be so incredibly beautiful when he’d known her all of his life?
    “Do you want to just tell me what you’re up to?” Leila demanded, frowning up at him.
    “What do you mean?”
    “I can’t figure out why I’m the victim of this fake, charming act.”
    Now Baron frowned. “Fake, charming act?”
    “I’ve known you a long time, remember? And I’ve heard plenty of stories about you—some of which must be true. I know for damned sure you’re not interested in me.”
    “Why wouldn’t I be interested in you?”
    “Baron, really.” She looked impatient and pushed her hair behind her ear. “Never in your life did you show the slightest interest in me.”
    Scanning her face, he realized that she was absolutely sincere. She clearly couldn’t fathom that he would ever be attracted to her.
    “Baron?” Leila prompted. Now she was looking at him like he’d gone crazy.
    “We were kids. A lot has changed. You’re a beautiful woman. Of course, I’m interested.”
    She actually rolled her eyes. “Right.”
    “You used to be attracted to me too. If I recall correctly, you thought my eyes were like smoldering coal in a fire, and my laughter wafted over you like—”
    “Oh,” she gasped, her cheeks flushing even deeper. “You ass. I was twelve! And if you had any kindness in your heart at all, you wouldn’t bring up something like that to—”
    Baron was suddenly hit with the urge to kiss her, to somehow capture, touch, connect with all of her gorgeous authenticity.
    He rarely denied himself such urges.
    He reached out and took her face in both of his hands. Leaning into a kiss, he felt his body tighten as she swayed toward him. Then her lips parted slightly beneath the brush of his tongue.
    She smelled like something light and fresh, and her long hair tangled around his fingers as he slid a hand back to cup her head. She made a delicious, throaty sound into his mouth as she pressed against him, and his blood started to surge—into his head, darkening his eyes, and into parts lower.
    He was starting to harden against her when she pulled away.
    Her cheeks were flushed, and she was breathing unevenly, but so was he. For a moment, he had trouble catching his breath.
    His body pulsed with arousal—so deeply he was genuinely shocked. He’d wanted to be himself again, but he didn’t normally react like this .
    It had clearly been too long since he’d been with a woman.
    “Wow,” she breathed, putting a hand up to cover her lips. “You’re a really good kisser.”
    Something in his chest relaxed, and he began to feel himself toward familiar ground. “Then why did you pull away?”
    The familiar ground fell away beneath his feet. She smiled sweetly. “Because you might have hated yourself in the morning if you’d had a one-night-stand with Dave’s little sister.”
    Baron’s mouth fell open.
    She left him there, and he was so surprised he didn’t move for a couple of minutes.
    She had responded to the kiss. He knew she had. She’d been just as into it as he was, but she’d still walked away.
    That just didn’t happen to Baron.
    The only woman who had ever walked away from him was Molly, and that was after he’d rejected her first.
    When he could finally wrap his mind around what had just occurred, he couldn’t decide if he was annoyed with Leila or intrigued.
    Either way, he felt nothing at all like his old self.
    ***
    On Wednesday of the following week, Baron was forced to conclude that today wasn’t his best day either.
    He felt vaguely sick as he spoke to Bob Moore, the private investigator who’d worked for his father for years. “You told him what we’d discussed?”
    “I did. He said it changed nothing.”
    “You told him I’d give him—”
    “He said he wanted nothing to do with you. He said not to try to contact him again.”
    It hurt. More