Sweet Gone South Read Online Free

one from the Hasbro legal team happened by and got a hankering for a bon-bon.
    “Can I help you, Judge Avery?” The question came from the smiling woman behind the counter. Everybody knew who Judge Avery was these days.
    “I’m here to see Ms. Heaven. She’s expecting me.” The woman looked so pleasant that he tried to return her smile. He wasn’t sure if it happened or not.
    “She’s in her office.” The woman pointed to the hallway behind the counter. “It’s the door across the hall from the kitchen.” Luke hesitated. Everyone knew non-employees weren’t supposed to go behind counters, but there didn’t seem to be any other way back there and the woman
was
pointing.
    Though the shop was relatively small, the building was big. And as Luke passed the kitchen, he saw what the rest of the space was being used for — the kitchen was huge. Surprisingly, there was no frivolous nonsense here and it was perfectly clean. The trays of lollipops left to cool on a marble counter were the only evidence that any cooking had ever gone on here.
    When Luke looked into the open door of Lanie’s small office, she was sitting with her back to the door. Who sat with their back to the door on purpose? Anyone could sneak up on you and, come to think of it, he just had. Though Lanie was at her desk with file folders open and the computer on, her head was bowed, her eyes closed. He thought she was asleep until she reached under her ponytail to massage the back of her neck. This room was neater than he would have expected from someone as haphazard as Lanie seemed to be. There was a bookcase of cookbooks against the wall and a rack of African violets in front of the window. Aside from the computer and files, there was nothing on Lanie’s desk except a coffee mug.
    He was about to knock on the door when she raised her head, yawned, and raised one of her legs high above her head. Today her pants and apron were pink, printed with assorted chocolates like came in a Valentine’s candy box. She pointed her bare toes, reached for the cuff of her loose pants leg and pulled it all the way up to her thigh.
    Luke’s mouth went dry. Leg, miles and miles of tanned, fabulous leg. This was the leg of a dancer or a runner — or a runner who danced. Trim ankle, round calf and — best of all — smooth toned thigh. And she had another one just like it. What would it be like to kiss that leg behind the knee? To run his tongue over the bend, while his hand moved from ankle to calf and upward? Dry mouth to watering mouth. Entranced, he almost took a step forward.
    Then Lanie touched a place on her upper outside thigh and turned her head to look at it — and caught sight of him.
    “What? Luke!” Lanie jumped up and, forgetting she had one clog off, stumbled. Instinctively, Luke stepped out and caught her. She smelled like vanilla and caramel. Fire shot through him, then panic. For the barest second, he couldn’t remember Carrie’s smell. But, wait. Yes. There it was. Spicy. Sweet and flowery. A little baby powder mixed in. Then Lanie jerked, fanning the scent of caramel back into the air.
    “Sorry — ” he said.
    “I didn’t see you!” Lanie’s face turned deep red. “I bumped my leg on the counter and I wanted to see if it was bruised.”
    “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
    “I’m not scared.” She pulled away from him and searched for her other shoe.
    “Was it?” Luke asked.
    “Was it what?”
    “Was it bruised?”
    “I don’t know.”
    Would you like for me to look? Stop it!
    Lanie opened her desk drawer and pulled out a set of keys. “Do you want to see the apartment?”
    Apartment? Yes, apartment. A place to house himself and his child — Carrie’s child.
    “That’s what I came for,” Luke said.
Not to see your leg, catch you in my arms, smell you. Not to let you remind me that I can still be aroused.
    “Then let’s go.” Lanie stepped around him to the hallway. When he didn’t follow immediately, she gazed over