Sweetened With a Kiss Read Online Free

“You’re joking. You came in a limo?”
    She almost stepped back as he turned on her suddenly. She still couldn’t believe she was seeing him in a suit, even if the cut made him more deadly attractive than he was in cutoff blue jeans and faded T-shirts. And really, Jen hadn’t believed that was possible. He looked so much older, less approachable. She hardly recognized the cold, hard man staring back at her impatiently. He was still beautiful, but he wasn’t happy to see her. He looked annoyed and distracted now, but earlier, when he’d first seen her, he’d looked just like he had the night of her junior prom. Jen had hoped never to see that expression again.
    “I thought you liked the limo. You and Lizzie used it often enough.” His words sounded like ice chips.
    She smiled despite herself. Guilty as charged. She and Lizzie were intimately familiar with the limo. Mac didn’t normally use it on the weekends and had encouraged them to use it because he didn’t like Lizzie driving in the city. They’d been happy to oblige and there had been many girls’ night out both in high school and college. They both owed Trent a piece of their souls for not telling Mac what had actually gone on in the limo. 
    At least Trent was happy to see her.  She gave him a quick hug and asked about his oldest daughter.  “She’s starting her residency this fall,” Trent said proudly.
    “Well tell Bonnie I asked about her. We all need to get together,” Jen said as she slid into the limo. 
    She grabbed two water bottles out of the mini fridge before leaning back. Stefan was on his cell phone so she barely got a chin nod when she handed him one. She took a sip and registered that Stefan was speaking in Russian. When had he learned Russian?
    She shook her head in disbelief and tried to relax as they pulled out of the airport. She’d missed New Orleans. Her first impression of Paris had been almost a little disappointing. “It’s just a larger version of the French Quarter,” Jared had said.
    “Well, yeah!” Jen had teased, then they’d laughed that whole first day playing goofy tourist and staring wide-eyed at the Eiffel Tower and trying really hard to be too cool to be impressed.
    She dragged herself to the present when they didn’t take the exit to cross the Pontchartrain. “Where are we going?”
    “Home.”
    “We’re going the wrong way.”
    He gave her a grim look and his phone rang before he could answer her. She fished her own phone out of her bag and sent Jared a text telling him she’d arrived safely. She smiled at the ten text messages from Lizzie, all demanding Are you here yet?
    She sent back, Yep
    Her phone rang less than thirty seconds later. “I’m so glad you’re home,” Lizzie rushed. It wasn’t like they hadn’t talked on the phone almost every day.
    “Glad you’re still here,” Jen said, wishing Lizzie wasn’t heading back to school in a week. They’d been best friends for as long as Jen could remember. Lizzie had always been more like a little sister than just a friend. And when Jen’d gone to live with the Sellers after her parents were killed, she and Lizzie had gotten even closer. They had never really been apart until Lizzie went off to graduate school.
    “I’m not going back to the frozen North until you’ve made pancakes.”
    “Tomorrow morning. Promise.” Jen said, then lowered her voice and turned towards the window. “What is going on with Stefan? He’s really intense and he’s been on his phone the whole time.”
    “Stefan picked you up?”
    “I know, I was surprised too.”
    “Something’s happened at STI. I’m not sure what exactly. Martin pulled Stefan off his bike this morning and Dad’s still at the Tower but Mom keeps saying ‘everything’s fine, dear’.”
    “That’s bad,” Jen said, darting a glance at Stefan who was hanging up. “Gotta go.”
    She ended her call and sipped her water and pretended not to notice he was no longer ignoring