and unshowered. She needed makeup. This was an explanation that required eyeliner and the expensive moisturizer.
“Guess again,” Jake said, his hand at the small of her back, guiding her through the parking lot to a car that made hers look like a toy. It was black and racy and low to the ground, shining with malevolent power and elegance in the dimly lit lot. The sort of car James Bond would drive.
Jake opened the door to the passenger side and Amy was enveloped by the smell of new car and expensive leather. She took a step backward and looked at Jake warily. “What’s this?”
“New car,” he said matter-of-factly. “My old car died.”
He made a gallant motion for her to get in.
He drove through Baltimore and turned onto I-95 South. He looked at her sideways, a silent speculative assessment that sent a shiver running down her spine.
The radial tires sang over the pavement, the powerful engine droned in her ears, hypnotic and soothing, and she closed her eyes to Jake, suddenly too tired to think.
She barely roused herself when the car purred to a stop. She was lifted from her seat and carried. A wave of fresh morning air washed over her and then there was the still coolness of air-conditioning. She opened her eyes when she was gently laid on her bed, but immediately gave herself up to the delicious luxury of smooth sheets and soft quilts.
Jake drew the curtains in Amy’s bedroom and stared down at her sleeping form.
It was noon before Amy awoke. Her first thought was that she was home. Her second thought was that Jake was naked beside her, his warm hand resting on a very private place.
They made love and when they were done, he snuggled her against him.
“I suppose we should talk now.”
Amy cuddled next to him. “I don’t know. It seems to me we’ve just said it all.”
Jake cocked an inquisitive eyebrow at her. “Me, man … you, woman?”
“Something like that. I was thinking more along the lines of you, Mr. Elliott … me, Mrs. Elliott.”
“Lady”—Jake grinned—“you’re in luck. I have a cancellation this afternoon.”
Enter the World of Janet Evanovich
Don’t miss any of her early romances!
The Rocky Road to Romance
Love Overboard
Back to the Bedroom
Manhunt
Smitten
Thanksgiving
Wife for Hire
Naughty Neighbor
Foul Play
The Rocky Road to Romance
Her tall, dark, and deliriously dangerous boss …
When the delightful, daffy Dog Lady of station WZZZ offered to take on the temporary job of traffic reporter, Steve Crow tried to think of reasons to turn Daisy Adams down. Perhaps he knew that sharing the close quarters of a car with her for hours would give the handsome program director no room to resist her quirky charms. He’d always favored low-slung sports cars and high-heeled women, but that was before he fell for a free spirit who caught crooks by accident, loved old people and pets, and had just too many jobs!
Loving Daisy turned Steve’s life upside down, especially once he adopted Bob, a huge dog masquerading as a couch potato. But was Daisy finally ready to play for keeps?
Love Overboard
Sinfully handsome schooner captain Ivan Rasmussen deserved to be called Ivan the Terrible, Stephanie Lowe decided. First, he sold her a haunted house, and now he was laughing at her Calamity Jane cooking! She only agreed to work one voyage of his Maine coastal cruise in exchange for the house repairs promised by her cousin, who’d run off to marry a plumber.
But the brazen Ivan, descendant of a pirate, insisted on flirting with her. When the voyage ended, he even managed to be on hand to help her trap the “ghost” in her house. Fun and comic mayhem, as only Janet Evanovich can write it.
Back to the Bedroom
For months he’d thought of her as the Mystery Woman, draped in a black velvet cloak, with outrageous red curls, flawless skin, and carrying a large, odd case. But the night David Dodd sees a helicopter drop a chunk of metal through the roof of his lovely neighbor’s bedroom, he gets to meet the formidable and delightful Katherine Finn at last!
Kate is a driven concert musician with more commitments than hours in the day. Dave is a likable slacker who seems to be drifting through life. Yet no one has ever made her feel as cherished, and she’s never had so much fun, even though her eccentric boarder, Elise, assures her that where Kate is concerned Dave has plenty of ambition.
Manhunt
Alexandra Scott, Alaskan Wilderness Woman. It had a terrific ring to it, but Alex felt a sudden twinge of uncertainty. She’d traded in her Wall Street job and fancy condo for a rundown cabin in the woods and a bait-and-tackle store. She’d wanted to escape the rat race and go husband-hunting where men outnumbered women four to one, but was she ready for the challenge?
Then she spotted Michael Casey a sexy pilot who was undaunted by disaster, had hero written all over him … and was a confirmed bachelor. Michael Casey was the man she had come to Alaska to hunt, and Alexandra Scott had him in her sights.
Smitten
Single mom Lizabeth Kane wasn’t exactly construction-worker material, but she truly wanted a job—and Matt Hallahan found her radiant smile utterly irresistible. When he agreed to hire her as a laborer, Lizabeth sent up a cheer. Since her divorce from a snobby philanderer, she’d frankly lost interest in men, but this macho carpenter, who smelled of sawdust and musk, made her senses sizzle.
As for Matt, he was charmed by Lizabeth’s enthusiasm, her spunky kids, and wacky aunt. Clearly this was a match made in heaven.
Thanksgiving
When Megan Murphy discovers a floppy-eared rabbit gnawing on the hem of her skirt, she means to give its careless owner a piece of her mind—but Dr. Patrick Hunter is too attractive to stay mad at for long.
As for Patrick, he wants to play house together and make Thanksgiving dinner for their families. But Megan has wept over one failed love and is afraid to risk her heart again.
Wife for Hire
Hank Mallone spotted trouble when she sat down and said she’d marry him. Maggie Toone was a tempting firecracker who’d make his life delightful hell if he let her pretend to be his wife in order to improve his rogue’s reputation. Would his harebrained scheme to get a bank loan for his business backfire once Maggie arrived in his small Vermont town and let the gossips take a look?
Maggie never expected her employer to be drop-dead handsome, or to affect her like a belt of bourbon on an empty stomach, but she was too intrigued by his offer to say no … and too eager to escape a life that made her feel trapped. The deal was strictly business, both agreed, until Hank turned out to be every fantasy she’d ever had.
Naughty Neighbor
Louisa Brannigan’s neighbor was driving her crazy. He snatched her newspaper and listened through her townhouse walls. But when she got fired from her government job, Pete was there, asking her to join his undercover operation. So Louisa was hopelessly entangled—professionally speaking—with the sexiest man alive. Sneaking around corners was fun, especially when the getaway car was a Porsche. Suddenly, Louisa was enjoying life on the edge.
Foul Play
When Amy Klasse loses her TV job to a dancing chicken, handsome veterinarian Jake Elliott rescues her with an offer to be his receptionist. Jake just can’t resist a damsel in distress, and Amy certainly doesn’t mind Jake’s charming sincerity.
Then, suddenly, the job-stealing chicken disappears and Amy is suspected of foul play. Amy and Jake search for clues to prove her innocence. But will Jake be able to prove to Amy that love, too, is a mystery worth solving?
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Foul Play
© 1989 by Steffie Hall,
2008 by Evanovich, Inc.
ISBN: 9780061690389
HARPER COLLINS
Ed♥n
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