Going Down (Quickies #1) Read Online Free Page A

Going Down (Quickies #1)
Book: Going Down (Quickies #1) Read Online Free
Author: Cassie Cross
Pages:
Go to
the rest of this evening with my sanity intact.  
    “Chloe,” he said, smiling warmly as he reached out, his fingers sliding down the inside of my arm and coming to rest near my elbow as he guided me inside. I briefly wondered if he could feel the goosebumps slowly spreading across my skin, then I pushed that thought right out of my mind. “Welcome.”  
    “Thank you for having me,” I said stiffly, like this was some kind of charity event or staff dinner. My nerves were overtaking me, making me second-guess every movement, every word that came out of my mouth. Only the delicious smell wafting through the air was able to break through my frenzied, self-conscious thoughts. It was Italian, maybe? “It smells delicious in here. Did you cook?”  
    Carter gave me a sexy, mischievous grin. “No, I don’t cook usually. I like to spend my free time perfecting other skills.”  
    I almost asked him what other kind of skills he was talking about, like it wasn’t some kind of innuendo. Thankfully I managed to keep my mouth shut, saving myself the embarrassment. His stupid grin and his stupid, sexy mouth was going to get me into some trouble tonight, I could feel it.  
    “Let me show you around.”  
    He walked me through the living room, decorated in warm reds and browns, photos peppering the mantle and just about every available surface. I was a little shocked to see how lived-in the place seemed. It wasn’t a picture perfect, everything-in-its-place kind of apartment with generic furnishings and expensive-looking chandeliers and such. It was normal. Well, the luxury kind of normal, but nothing too over the top.  
    His apartment was large, but homey. It was warm and inviting, completely unlike his office. Like he could read my mind, he said, “You’re surprised?”  
    I could feel his eyes on me, watching me intently as I walked around, taking in the space. I slid my fingers across the back of his sofa, along the fringe of a lampshade, admiring the understated luxury.  
    “Yes,” I said honestly.
    “Why?”  
    I shrugged as I took in a deep breath. “I thought your apartment would be colder. Less lived-in, maybe. I don’t know, more like your office? I kind of figured that place was a sample of your decorating style.”  
    Carter laughed. “I hate my office.”  
    “You do?”  
    He nodded enthusiastically, like he just loved it when people asked him about this. “It was the result of an ill-advised study about office environments. I’ve wanted to redo it forever, but my employees seem to be happy enough with it, and I could hire twenty people with the money I’d spend on redecorating.”  
    “Seems like maybe you could afford to do both,” I teased. Was he not a gazillionaire?  
    “You don’t earn money by wasting it,” he explained. He could’ve very easily sounded condescending, but he didn’t. “I’m not rich because I throw it away.”  
    “Fair enough,” I said, turning on my heel, taking in the high ceilings and crown moulding.  
    “Would you like a drink? I have a bottle of wine breathing on the counter in the kitchen.”  
    I nodded, wanting to laugh at how absurd this all was. Me, standing in a billionaire’s apartment while a bottle of wine was breathing on the counter in the kitchen. Paige and I always just drank it straight after we uncorked it. It seemed I had a lot to learn, and I knew there were a lot of things that Carter could teach me if I’d let him.  
    I followed him into the kitchen, a long room with shiny granite countertops and wooden floors. Carter had stainless steel appliances with so many buttons I wouldn’t even begin to know how to use them. He probably didn’t know how to use them either, if I had to guess. Or maybe he did, and that was just another surprise I had waiting for me where he was concerned.  
    “Where’s the-”
    “Food?” he asked, grinning. “Warming in the oven. I thought we could talk a little first, get to know each other.
Go to

Readers choose

Agatha Christie

Roger Silverwood

Dan Gutman

Tony Abbott

Irene Ferris

Viola Grace