She's No Angel Read Online Free

issue.
    “I’m so sorry, Brett.” Her mom moved into damage-control mode. “Honey, can you get me the broom and dustpan?”
    As she leaned down to clean up the mess, her mom started clucking. “Let me throw your pants and socks into the wash. I’m sure we can find you something to wear until they’re clean.”
    Oh, crap. All she needed was for this man to be walking around half naked. Her body was already going haywire.
    And he hadn’t taken his eyes from her yet.
    Heat suffused her, delayed embarrassment and something so much worse.
    Brett grasped her mom’s hands and stopped her fussing. “Be careful, Mrs. Harper, I don’t want you to cut yourself. I’m fine. Nothing a damp cloth can’t fix.”
    From his crouched position on the floor, he looked up at Lexi. A spark of heat flickered deep in the center of all that cool blue. “Guess it’s a good thing I bought that cake, after all.”
    * * *
    T O SAY THAT he’d been shocked to see the woman from Sugar & Spice alighting from the car in the Harpers’ driveway would be an understatement. Well, the shock had mostly come from seeing her in a tiny black dress instead of the gingham apron.
    The long blond hair she’d had pulled into a tight tail trailed invitingly down her back in a wave of curls. Watching her bounce from foot to foot as she’d pulled on her heels and tugged at her hem had surprised him. Watching a woman dress had never intrigued him before.
    But she did. The little black dress was a glimpse of what lay beneath the peaches-and-cream complexion and sugar-cookie scent.
    Without letting go of Mrs. Harper, Brett stood, bringing her with him. He smiled down at the woman. Dressed in conservative slacks, a purple silk top and a single strand of pearls, she reminded him of every sitcom mom. The kind of mother he’d never had.
    He’d bet Mrs. Harper had been at home just waiting for the kids to hop off the bus in the afternoon. She’d greet them with warm cookies and a glass of milk and ask them how their day went.
    Brett and Hunter had returned home to an empty house. The only time they’d gotten cookies was when the store brand had been on sale.
    Shaking his head, Brett pushed the unexpected reaction away.
    “I’m fine, Mrs. Harper. Really.”
    Taking the broom from Mr. Harper’s hand, he began sweeping up the mess. It took him several moments before he realized the three other people were staring at him. A frown accompanied Lexi’s narrowed brown gaze.
    “What?”
    “You’re a guest in our home, Mr. Newcomb.”
    “Brett.”
    “Brett. Why are you cleaning up a mess you didn’t make?”
    He shrugged. “Because it needed to be done, I’m already standing in the middle of it and there’s no reason for anyone else’s shoes to get ruined.”
    Mayor Harper tilted his head. A beautiful smile bloomed across Mrs. Harper’s face.
    Snatching the broom out of his hand, she ordered him to take off his shoes before giving him a damp cloth and shooing him into the dining room.
    Lexi quickly joined him, but from the tentative way she entered the room, he didn’t think she wanted to be there with him.
    He could hear the soft murmur of her parents from the kitchen.
    Lexi crossed to the antique sideboard—did everyone in town own antiques?—and poured a glass of wine from a bottle sitting there.
    She silently offered him a glass, which he accepted. It gave him an excuse to move closer to her.
    She poured one for herself and raised the crystal to her lips. Her throat worked as she took a swallow, and Brett couldn’t tear his gaze away from the long expanse of it. He wondered how her skin would taste.
    “Why did you come into my store?”
    Taking a slow sip of his own wine, Brett dragged his gaze up to the deep brown eyes that watched him. “Because I needed a cake.”
    “Did you know I owned it?”
    “No.”
    Her mouth tightened. She searched his eyes for something, but he had no idea if she found it or not. Either way, she wasn’t happy.
    “You