Flame – Carmichael Family Read Online Adriana Locke

Categories Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Insta-Love Tags Authors:
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Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 77341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
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I hold up a finger. “I didn’t pick a fight. I simply placed a bid. She’s the one who got all bent out of shape and tried to take me out with her walker. I was just supporting a good cause.”

“A good cause which is benefiting … whom?”

“It doesn’t matter,” I say, laughing.

“Because you don’t know.”

“No, I don’t know. But that’s not the point. You’re just supposed to have a giving heart. I’m just giving, Jase. What they do with the money is on them. They’ll have to take that up with God.”

He rolls his eyes and digs his phone out of his pocket. He glances at the screen. “Hey, I need to take this. Can you manage not to upset the locals until I get back?”

I make a face. “I’ll try. But I promise nothing.”

He turns to the door. “Behave, Bianca.”

“You’re no fun.” I find my seat and sit again. “But that’s already been established.”

Adrenaline trickles through my veins as I scan the building for Foxx.

I didn’t know that Jason didn’t tell him we were flying down today, but the look on Foxx’s face made it clear our presence was a surprise. I’m unsure whether he found it to be a good surprise or a bad one.

“Wow, that was quite a bid.” A woman stops beside my chair. She’s pretty with brown hair and a Smokey’s T-shirt tucked into a pair of jeans. “I can’t blame you, though. I would’ve done the same thing if I had an extra ten grand.”

I smile back at her. “I mean, it is for charity, right?”

“Yeah. Sure.”

Her laugh is gentle and kind. I instantly like her.

“I’m Bianca,” I say.

“I’m Becca. I haven’t seen you around here before.”

“Oh, I’m just visiting for the afternoon. My brother is a pilot and thought we should do a quick getaway. Lots of family stress at home. You know how it goes.”

A shadow filters across her face. “Yes, I know that feeling well.”

“Excuse me, Becca. May I borrow Bianca for a moment, please?”

There’s no need to look across my shoulder to see who’s interrupting us. If I didn’t recognize the deep, slightly aloof voice or the wood and citrus cologne, I’d know it was Foxx by the look on Becca’s face. Not many men in the world can garner that reaction.

Her eyes practically have hearts drawn onto the irises as she stares at him. “What? Oh. Yeah. Right. Sure, Foxx. Not a problem. I was leaving anyway.” She turns to me. “It was nice to meet you.”

“It was lovely to meet you, too, Becca,” I say.

She steals a final glance at him before disappearing into the line of bodies leaving the community center.

My insides quiver with a mix of anticipation and excitement. Slowly, I turn to face him.

Instantly, his blue eyes snatch mine up and hold them hostage. The intensity of them, of him, steals my breath.

I’ll never become immune to this man.

“You want to borrow me, huh?” I ask. “Sounds like fun.”

He towers over me by several inches. He stands tall and confident with dark hair on the verge of needing cut, and brows and cheekbones that define chiseled. His features are symmetrical, save for a slight bend to his nose. His skin is dusted with stubble, and his hands are calloused. It melts into a package of pure masculinity that turns me into a puddle.

Foxx licks his bottom lip but says nothing.

“Or not,” I say, pulling my gaze from his.

“What are you doing here?”

I bite back a smile. I hear it—the slightest edge of softness to his words. That tells me all I need to know.

Despite being removed from my security detail six months ago, nothing between us has changed.

He’s still affected by me, too.

“Jason and I heard there was a bachelor auction down here today, so we thought we’d swing by and find me a date,” I say, testing the waters.

He hums.

“I almost had two, but the firefighter looked a little too nice for my taste,” I say, watching his reaction.

Foxx’s eyes darken. He runs a hand through his hair, his eyes never leaving mine.

“Wanna sit?” I ask, taking my paddle off the chair beside me. “Jason is on a call, but he’ll be in when he’s done.”

Foxx sits, brushing against my shoulder on the way down. It sends a blast of energy shooting through me.

“It’s been a while,” I say. “How have you been?”

He shrugs. “You?”

Oh, Foxx. I grin. “Ah, the man of a thousand words. I forgot how chatty you are.”

He hangs his head, chuckling softly.

“Jason said you’ve been assigned to Renn lately,” I say. “Lucky you. Of all my brothers, he might be the most entertaining.”

He turns his head and looks at me. He wants to say something but doesn’t.

We watch each other carefully, searching the other’s face for direction.

I didn’t expect Foxx to be game for idle chitchat—that’s not his modus operandi, but I didn’t expect him to say only six words either. We didn’t end things, not that there was anything to end, on a bad note. It just … ended.


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