Nothing But Trouble Read Online Free Page A

self-confidence sexy.”
    “Your sources are sadly il -informed.”
    “Darn,” he said, but didn’t seem al too upset, nor any more humble for that matter.
    “You havin’ another, or not?” she asked impatiently, a little irritated that she couldn’t shake his confidence. She was slipping.
    She could usual y cut a man down in six words or less, walk away, and leave him there to bleed. She couldn’t even prick a drop of blood from this guy, and her usual reserve of swift comebacks seemed to have deserted her.
    “How about something different this time?”
    “Whatever you—” She stopped. Why had she never noticed before how sexual bar talk could be? “What’l you have?”
    “Surprise me.”
    She’d like to surprise him, all right. She’d like to look him in the eye and say, “Did you know you’re my prince?” And because she knew he wasn’t and never would be, she got irritated—with herself for succumbing to his hot stare, and with him for having the audacity to keep it up, even after she’d told him to back off.
    So she went to work. Keeping her back to him, she prepared the drink, then with the most innocent smile she had in her repertoire, she carried it to him and set it down. “Fourteen ninety-five, please.”
    He looked at it speculatively. “Looks dangerous. What is it?” “My own special drink. Try it.”
    He brought it to his nose and inhaled deeply, never taking his eyes from hers. “Mmmmm,” he murmured in appreciation.
    “Almond-scented. Amaretto?”
    Laura set her crossed forearms on the bar and shook head.
    “Cyanide,” she told him, batting her lashes. “I cal the drink, ‘Drop Dead.’”
     

Two
    “SHE WANTS ME,” Brandon murmured to Ned.
    “What was your first clue?” Ned answered with a snort.
    “The poisoned drink or the ‘drop dead’ comment?”
    Brandon watched Laura Tanner move, and desire stirred in his belly—and lower. She had a feminine grace he found incredibly sexy, especially when she contrasted that with a mouth that could strip hides. He’d love to hear what kind of things she said when she was aroused beyond reason.
    Her eyes were nearly the same color as her hair, a soft, honey brown that could bring a man to his knees. She could scowl and bluster all she wanted, but her eyes spoke a different language. In the few minutes he’d spent talking with her, he’d seen a zil ion different emotions shimmering in those big, brown depths.
    “A minor setback,” he responded, shrugging. “She’l come around.”
    “Double or nothing,” Ned chal enged.
    “You’re on.” 
    “What’s your next move, Casanova?”
    Brandon admired the way Laura’s small hands efficiently performed what seemed like ten tasks at once while she talked and laughed with two women at the end of the bar. By their easy camaraderie, he’d guess they were good friends.
    Certainly an eclectic bunch, he thought. Laura: no nonsense, tiny, restless. The waitress: blond and tall, with a dreamy expression on her face that softened otherwise sharp features, and more jewelry in her ears, on her wrists and fingers than he’d ever encountered before. And the woman seated at the bar: a dark, exotic beauty, but wearing a tailored black suit that said she was al business.
     
    Brandon grinned as he watched Laura joke with another male customer while she fixed him a drink. She was, on the surface, extremely friendly with her customers. Most likely because they al knew not to get personal. A lesson Brandon had no intention of learning himself.
    “Just watch.” Brandon waited until Laura glanced in their general direction, then waved her over.
    The reluctance in her expression was endearing. Brandon couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
    “Oh, yeah,” Ned said sarcastically, “you have a chance.”
    Laura’s eyes darted around the bar, as if searching for any distraction she could find. Then with a sigh she headed back over to them.
    “Want something else?”
    “I’m fine for now,” he