Caress Part Two (Arcadia)

Caress Part Two (Arcadia) by Josie Litton Page A

Book: Caress Part Two (Arcadia) by Josie Litton Read Free Book Online
Authors: Josie Litton
Ads: Link
apartment.”
    “It does,” I agreed. “Throw in a string of pearls and some
high heels—” I broke off, admiring the image I’d just conjured.
    “Seriously?” she asked. The eyebrow was back, which gave me
a good indication that my answer should be ‘no’.
    “Of course not. I’m just saying that if you ever want to
make out at a drive-in, I’m your man.”
    God bless her, she giggled.
    I grabbed a strip of bacon, downed a slurp of coffee, and
started to think that we were on the right track after all.
    Half-an-hour later, that would be thirty minutes of sitting
at the breakfast table with nearly-naked Emma, I had an incipient case of blue
balls and an urgent need to find something to do other than fuck her.
    “I’ll clear up,” I said. “Get dressed, we’re going out.”
    This time, both eyebrows shot up. I refused to be deterred.
“I mean it, you’re too pale. You need to get out of here for a while. It’s a
beautiful day and we’re going to spend it together.”
    She stood, affording me an even better view of her gorgeous self.
Even frowning, she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
    “Admittedly, I haven’t dated a lot but aren’t you supposed
to ask?”
    Not for nothing had I swum with the sharks all these years.
I tossed that particular piece of chum right back at her.
    “Why? It’s not like we’ve got something serious going. Like
you said, this is strictly casual so let’s not stand on ceremony. It’s Sunday,
I’m not working and you shouldn’t be either. There’s a book fair in Central
Park this weekend.”
    Thank god for the women in the office who actually cared
about such things and who had been talking it up.
    “Let’s head over there,” I went on, “then see what
develops.”
    She hesitated but I could tell that she was tempted. How
could she not be? After so long in the apartment, she had to be practically
claustrophobic. Plus, I was throwing in my own charming company for good
measure.
    “All right,” she said finally. “I’ll just—” She made a vague
gesture as her blush deepened.
    Magnanimous in victory, I said, “While you’re getting dressed,
I’ll stack the dishwasher.”
    She gave me a funny look, then grinned. “You mean do the
dishes, right? There is no dishwasher.”
    The 1950s lost a chunk of their allure right then but I
rallied. “I can do that. No problem.”
    Hell, I’d been a Boy Scout. A sink full of dishes weren’t
going to get the better of me.
    Twenty minutes later, the dishes were draining on the
sideboard and Emma was ready to go. She looked… fuck me, I was in trouble… good
enough to eat in pale yellow slacks and a cherry red top that worked great with
her hair.
    The combination reminded me of something but I needed a
minute to figure out what it was. When I did, I grinned and said, “Let’s go.”

Chapter Nine

 
Emma
     
    The book fair stretched along Fifth Avenue on the Central
Park side of the street. Kiosks lined the way, shaded by the overhanging trees
and attended by book lovers of all ages from toddlers to seniors.
    It was a beautiful late summer day, not a trace of cloud in
the sky and the air filled with dappled sunlight and the scent of drying leaves
and grass. I heard a group of tourists exclaiming about how lovely it all was
and couldn’t help smiling.
    People who were unfamiliar with the city seemed to think
that it smelled of nothing but exhaust fumes and garbage mounds. True, there
was that special stink that settled over the streets when the temperature
soared above ninety and the humidity hung like a shroud. But that was rare and
most days were downright pleasant.
    This one was even better, not in the least because of who I
was with.
    Lucas had taken my hand as we left the Arcadia and he hadn’t
let go since. The sense of his warmth and strength spread out from that single
point of contact to enfold every part of me.
    As much as I was enjoying the novel sense of being part of a
couple, the physical

Similar Books

Goldilocks

Andrew Coburn

Viking Bride

Vivian Leigh

Entice

Ella Frank

Citizens Creek

Lalita Tademy

Die Smiling

Linda Ladd

Speak of the Devil

Allison Leotta

Unwanted Fate

A. Gorman

Dolor and Shadow

Angela Chrysler