She's No Angel Read Online Free Page A

had no clue who I was when you were flirting with me?”
    “I was flirting with you?”
    She speared him with a sharp look. Inexplicably, instead of feeling intimidated, he fought the urge to laugh. Not because he thought she was kidding, but because he was enjoying himself.
    It had been a long time since he’d verbally sparred with a woman.
    But he managed to keep the reaction in check. “No. I had no idea who you were, although I’m not sure it would have mattered if I did. You’re beautiful.”
    She scoffed. The sound surprised him. He was used to dealing with women who knew exactly how enticing they were and had no compunctions about using that knowledge to get whatever they wanted. Which had never bothered him before.
    He liked straightforward relationships. He liked things neat and tidy.
    He didn’t entirely believe Lexi was unaware of the effect her little Suzy Homemaker facade had. He thought it was more likely that her air of self-deprecation was part of the effect.
    But it worked.
    Brett hadn’t planned to touch her, but somehow found himself pulling one of her curls through his fingers. She jerked backward, the heel of her shoe catching on the edge of the area rug. She righted herself before he could catch her.
    With disgust, she glared down at the red heels. Muttering under her breath, she flicked her ankles one at a time and flung the shoes into a corner.
    With a sigh of relief, she sank her naked toes into the nap of the area rug and her eyes fluttered shut. “Thank God.”
    Breath caught in his lungs. But before he could do anything, Lexi’s parents swept in from the kitchen. They both carried several platters. Brett and Lexi were waved to the table, then everyone settled.
    Brett tried to ignore the way his sticky pants clung uncomfortably to his skin. There was nothing else he could do until he got back to the inn. He concentrated on being a good guest, participating in the inconsequential small talk while trying not to let his mind wander to the woman sitting across from him.
    Building bridges. Making friends. The first step in his plan to turn the tide in Bowen’s favor.
    For the most part, Lexi was silent. Her gaze rarely strayed from the plate in front of her. He didn’t think it had anything to do with her preoccupation with the meal. She picked at the pot roast, ignored the mashed potatoes altogether and concentrated on a huge pile of roasted squash, carrots, zucchini and eggplant.
    They were halfway through the main course before the mayor finally got down to business. “I hate that you wasted your time to come down from Pennsylvania, Brett. The town really isn’t interested in the kind of resort y’all want to build.”
    “But that’s exactly why it was necessary for me to come. I’m here to negotiate. To find out what we’d need to do to make the idea palatable for everyone.”
    “Hiring a new architect would be a good start,” Lexi’s soft voice finally interjected.
    His first instinct was to say something snide, but he realized that wouldn’t help so instead he clamped his jaw tight.
    “The plans are hideous.”
    But he couldn’t ignore that.
    “Hideous? I wasn’t aware you were an architect in addition to a baker, Ms. Harper. What eclectic talents for someone so young.”
    Through the veil of her lashes her eyes punched at him. Flecks of golden brown glittered in the dark depths. But he didn’t care. She’d insulted him and his work.
    “I don’t need to be an architect to recognize whoever designed those plans didn’t bother to do any research. We sell quaintly romantic, not Vegas stripper pole.”
    Her mom nearly choked. “Lexi,” she wheezed in warning.
    “What?” Lexi inquired, eyes wide with false innocence. “He asked.”
    Setting his silverware gently on his plate, Brett crossed his arms on the table and leaned toward her. The space between them shrank. She stared at him, no longer lost in the dinner she didn’t seem the slightest bit interested in.
    The