Taming Johnny Read Online Free Page B

Something Emma secretly admired. Until now, of course.
    “What?” She laughed and her cheeks heated. “No! No. Of course not. Why would you think that?”
    His gaze dropped to her pajama bottoms as her face burned mercilessly. “Because you don’t usually dress like that, that’s why.”
    “Well, I don’t usually dress like this either. And you came all the way over here to accuse me of that? Don’t you think that’s a little…conceited?” she managed to say it while looking him in the eye, which she thought was pretty great, since he was in fact, one hundred percent right. She had dressed for him. What she didn’t get was why in the world he cared. He never had before. And why would he be mad about it?
    Lightning flickered neon blue and thunder clapped a few seconds later. It was insistent, as if wanting to move things along.
    “Maybe,” he said. “But I know I’m right.”
    Emma shook her head. “You know, I don’t get you. Let’s pretend for a minute that I had tried to look nice for you. Most men might be flattered by that, but you…” she huffed softly. “You’re angry. Actually angry . And you come over to my apartment to rip me a new one. What’s that all about?” She put her hands on her hips to emphasize that last statement, felt her boobs jiggle with their newfound freedom, and quickly crossed her arms again.
    He didn’t appear to notice. Of course. He stepped closer as lightning flashed again. The lights in the apartment flickered for a moment before thunder boomed, rattling the panes in the windows.
    “Yeah, I’m mad,” he said. “Have you ever known me to be anything else?”
    “At least now you’re admitting it.”
    “I’ve never not admitted it. I just haven’t discussed anything with you in detail. Until now.”
    “Why now?” Her throat was going dry. Where in the world was he going with this?
    “Because for the better part of a year you’ve been batting those eyes at me, Beaumont. It’s about time I addressed it. You should know I’m not up for any kind of…thing. Especially with some wet behind the ears police clerk who I work with.”
    “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said. Liar. “And I’m not wet behind the ears.”
    “Come on, Beaumont! Get real. Tell me you don’t have a thing for me.”
    “Oh my God,” Emma said. “You’re incredible.”
    “I know. And apparently so do you.” There was barely a hint of a sparkle in his eyes, but his expression remained hard, daring her to say anything else. “I’m serious when I say I want it to stop. I don’t have time for these games at work.”
    This time she put her hands on her hips and left them there, not caring if her boobs did a sideways jig. “You’ve got a lot of nerve coming over here, lecturing me like a five-year-old. And for the record, I have no interest in any kind of thing with you. I don’t know any woman in her right mind who would.”
    “I don’t either,” he said, his voice low. “Believe me when I say you want nothing to do with me.”
    Emma’s heart was beating like a baseball bat against her breast bone. She was so dumbfounded by what was happening, she didn’t know what to say next.
    Outside, the wind howled around the apartment building. Rain was hitting the windows like fine grains of sand. The sky was getting darker, the clouds taking on an ominous green tint.
    “I—” Emma began, stopping short when the lieutenant held up a hand. He was looking over his shoulder toward the window. The rain had stopped all of a sudden, and so had the wind. Everything went so eerily quiet you could hear a pin drop.
    “Oh, shit,” she whispered.
    Then, as if on cue, pea-sized hail began to pelt the glass. Lightning flashed like a firecracker and the hairs on the back of Emma’s neck prickled.
    Johnny pushed past her to open up the front door. The sky looked like a celestial bowl of pea soup, the clouds a thick green mass which were churning above them.
    He held up his