Unexpected Love Read Online Free Page A

embarrass her or himself, he thought wryly.
    She blushed when she realized she was still sprawled all over him, hands on his solid chest.  She slid off him onto the floor.  She heard Walter fussing over them and Sean reassuring them they were both fine.  She felt him get up but did not look up. 
    As if he sensed her embarrassment, he bent down, put a strong arm around her waist, one hand under her arm, and covered picking her up by saying, “You are okay, right?”  Once on her feet, he held a hand lightly on her arm to make sure she was steady before withdrawing. 
    She nodded but kept her eyes down.  She could feel the goose bumps running up and down her arms.  Darn it, she should have pulled her sleeves down.  This time, she wrapped her arms around her body. She looked over to see Sean glance at her arms.  Great.  Could she be any more obvious?
    Walter broke the brief silence.  “I’m really sorry about the dog.  Buddy loves people and I usually don’t let him in the house with company unless I watch him first because he gets so excited to greet people.  I got off the phone with Billy.  He’s the garage mechanic and owner.  His son will be picking up your car in about 20 minutes.  It’s a family business and he’s a good mechanic.  They’ll do right by you.”
    Twenty minutes?  It would take her that long to walk back there on these tired legs.  “Thank you for your help.  I really appreciate it.”  She moved to the front door.  Her legs felt like rubber.  From weakness or her encounters with Sean, she was not sure anymore.
    Maggie had come back on hearing the commotions and she had a big grin on her face.  Did she think it was funny?  Or had she seen Sean literally picking her up off the floor?
    Maggie said, “Sean, call me to let me know about her car and what is going on.”  This is working out perfectly, she thought.
    Sean followed Taylor out.  “Need a lift?  I can take you to your car and you can get your stuff before it gets towed.”
    She glanced at him before traversing the steps slowly, holding onto the railing tightly with one hand.  She was trying hard to look normal.  Sean walked slowly next to her.
    She heard Maggie behind her, “It’s okay, honey.  I can vouch for Sean.  He’s not a serial murderer or criminal or rapist or anything.”
    She glanced over just in time to see Sean roll his eyes and say sarcastically, “Thanks a lot.”
    Taylor snickered as he was opening the passenger door of the big blue truck.  “The thought never crossed my mind.  Well, maybe once. But very quickly.”
    He gave her a defeated look and shook his head, “I’m glad we got that settled, then.”
    He watched her stare into the truck and down at the running board.  He hadn’t realized what a big step up it was.  He said softly, “Sorry.  Turn towards me.”
    She turned to face him with a slight frown.  “Remember, I’m not a vicious criminal or serial killer or whatever she said.”  He smiled as he put his hands on her waist.  “Watch your head.”  He quickly lifted her up and onto the seat.  She swung her legs around and he closed the door.  It felt good to be sitting since her legs were so tired.
    After he got in and started to back out of the driveway, she commented “Nice truck.”
    He grinned, “Yeah. I like it.”
    She looked at him curiously, “Where are you from?”
    “What, the accent gave me away?”’ he smiled at her.  “I was born in Australia to an American father and Aussie mom. Dad traveled a lot for his job and mom wanted to stay close to her family so I was born in Australia but I have dual citizenship.  I came to the U.S. when I was seventeen.”  That was more information than he usually shared with someone.  Especially someone he had just met. 
    “Your family is here now?”
    “No, still in Australia.  I came here on my own.”
    “When you were seventeen?”
    “Yeah.  I hate to say it, but I lied about my age to get