Delinquent Daddy (Banks / Kincaid Family #2)(7)

Shrugging off the curiosity, Ellie turned around and started up her front walk. For a moment, she was busy trying to juggle her two sacks of food while digging her house key from her purse. She didn't notice the man until she nearly plowed into him.

She saw the shoes first, a fancy pair of brown suede loafers. They were large, obviously belonging to a male, and partially covered by the hem of tan slacks.

And they were planted on the top step of her porch.

Ellie screamed and dropped her groceries. The shoes moved, taking a step down. Her gaze shot up even as she bent at the knees to retrieve her spilled goods.

And that was where she froze, face tipped up, knees slightly bent, back stooped over, and hand reaching down to snatch her sacks.

Her mouth fell open. "Oh," she breathed in awe as she took in the whole majestic form.

She'd hate to break it to this guy, but if he had anything nefarious in mind, he might want to rethink his life of crime, because honestly, you couldn't really rape the willing.

He was absolutely gorgeous. Tall, dark, handsome, glaringly rich. Too bad all those features turned her off because, well, hello...the way he stared made her think he'd seen her naked and wanted her that way again. Soon.

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Delinquent Daddy

by Linda Kage

"Um..." she offered, biting her lip and bending just a little more to grab her bags. "Hello," she finally said and straightened. "Can I...can I help you with something?"

She glanced back toward the Infiniti. Definitely his. Stylish, sleek, a bit conservative while still managing to scream money.

"Yes," he said. "I really think you can help me...Ellie."

That voice.

Ellie whirled back and gaped as the man glided the rest of the way off the porch and took the last three steps toward her.

Oh, God, she knew that walk, that oh-so-gracefully smooth stroll. And that voice. She definitely knew that voice.

Eyes snapping to his face, she searched for familiar features until the young man she'd once known took form in the face of the adult before her. When he sent her a half sneer, half smile, she dropped her groceries again.

" Boston?"

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33

Delinquent Daddy

by Linda Kage





Chapter Three


"Been a while, huh?" Boston said, skimming a quick gaze down her body before eyeing the two mangled bags at her feet.

"Oh, my God," Ellie blurted out. "What... How...oh, my God." She covered her opened mouth with her hands and gaped at him over her shaking fingers.

What was he doing here? How had he found her? And why in the world had he come?

There was nothing Boston Kincaid would ever need from her. Things had been cut and dried the last time she'd seen him. She'd told him to leave and never come back, something he'd been itching to do for over a month. So it wasn't like he needed any kind of closure. Everything between them was dead. Door closed, locked, and dead-bolted with its key missing for a full decade. There was no feasible reason for him to return. Unless...

No, it wasn't possible. He didn't know. He couldn't know. If he knew, he sure as hell wouldn't have waited this long to come back. But it was the only reason he might ever show up in her life again.

Panic and fear struck; her face drained of color.

His features drew tight and turned hard as if he could read every thought racing through her head. But he merely slid his hands casually into his pockets, achieving that deceptively calm demeanor he'd always been so good at posing.

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Delinquent Daddy

by Linda Kage

"Going to invite me inside?" he asked, tipping his head toward her house.

Ellie frowned and dropped her hands from her mouth. No, no, no. There was no way she'd let him into her home. There were too many pictures of Cassie in there. He couldn't go anywhere near the front door. She had to get rid of him...fast. Slicing an uneasy glance his way, she swallowed as his penetrating eyes nailed her to the spot. God, they were the same shade of blue as Cassie's.

The man was still devastatingly attractive. Ellie bit the inside of her lip and wondered why he couldn't have gotten fat, lost his hair, or developed some kind of nasty twitch.

Why'd he have to look even better after ten years? It wasn't fair. And it wasn't helping her concentration at all.

His hair was still inky black but a lot shorter now. And as unbelievable as it could be, she swore his shoulders were even wider. His chest had definitely filled out. He'd always been tall, so at least that hadn't changed. And the aura around him was still—

"Ellie," he said.

As she realized she was just standing there, ogling, and doing nothing whatsoever to scoot him along, her face heated.

"What are you doing here, Boston? How did you..." Find me. She paused. How had he found her? And why had he wanted to? There could only be one reason, but Ellie was going to deny that explanation for as long as she could. There had to be something else.

35

Delinquent Daddy

by Linda Kage

"You have some very... observant neighbors," he murmured, glancing pointedly toward the Young's house on the left. "Maybe we should go inside before starting this conversation."

Ellie followed his stare and caught sight of Nora in her yard, openly watching them as she watered her plants, drowning her poor roses. She lifted her hand and waved.