Read Luck of the Devil for Free Online

swallowed and stood still, allowing me to pat at his chest. “It’s just coffee. And I’m soaked from my run, anyway.”
    “But—”
    “I’ll take the Danish as payment.” He bit into the one I’d given him. Now that I wasn’t touching him, he seemed perfectly fine. Maybe he was one of those guys who had a really big personal space bubble? I definitely understood. I was constantly worried about someone getting too close and accidentally thwacking them with a wing.
    I stepped away, trying to avoid the few crumbs that fell off the pastry, and stumbled. He grabbed my arm, pulling me to him. My eyes widened when his touch sent electricity up my arm like it had last night.
    He looked at me curiously and let go.
    “I should get going.” I jerked my head feebly toward our apartment building. “I promised Lisa I’d bring back breakfast.”
    He made a face. “Did you have to buy for your brother, too?”
    I laughed. “No, thank God they don’t have sleepovers at our apartment. That would just be too gross.”
    “I can imagine. So was that a rule you set down before she moved in with you? Or did they start dating after you’d been roommates for while?”
    “Definitely after we’d been roommates for a while. It’s a sort of new thing for the two of them. Personally, I’m not sure it’s the best idea in the world—Tolliver and Lisa—but no one asked my opinion. At least they don’t shove it in my face too much.”
    “Huh.” He looked at me curiously, his green eyes narrowed. “Stay here.”
    “What?”
    “Stay here,” he said, and stepped into the coffee shop.
    I glanced around and shoved my hands in my sweat pants pockets. What was he doing?
    Two minutes later, he walked through the door with Stephen trailing him, scowling murderously. The smell of clashing testosterone stunk up the bakery’s doorway.
    “Here.” He handed me two more cups of heavenly-smelling coffee and kept the third for himself. “The guy behind the counter said you were drinking the house special.”
    “I was, but you didn’t have to buy me replacements. I should’ve bought you coffee with all the things I’ve destroyed, stained, or run over in the last six months.”
    “Eh.” He shrugged and turned toward our apartment building, taking my elbow. “Thanks, Stephen, I’ll make sure she gets home without assaulting anyone else.”
    “Faith?” Stephen asked warily. His protective instincts flared, the stench radiating along the street. Why was it men in a pissing contest over women always smelled like dirty gym socks?
    “It’s cool, Stephen.” I waved my cup of coffee in his direction. “He’s my neighbor.”
    “Uh-huh.” He scowled, turned, and walked back inside, letting the door slam.
    “Pleasant, isn’t he?”
    “Usually, he is.” I breathed in the rich scent of mocha, trying to rid myself of the lingering musty gym smell.
    “Must be me.” Matt drank his coffee. His shoulders relaxed as the funky guy smell dissipated.
    “Must be,” I said, and sipped my coffee. “It’s weird, though, I’ve never seen Stephen be anything but nice.”
    “Jealous, then. He’s never acted like he had a problem with me before. He didn’t even act annoyed when I brought one of my out-of-town clients in to gawk at him.”
    “Big Pens fan?”
    “Huge Pens fan. Fanatical. I thought he would hump your friend’s leg.”
    “He was probably just trying to be nice and not embarrass you by hosing your friend down with water. That doesn’t mean he likes you. Especially since he hates all the attention he gets in public. I think that’s why he gave up hockey.”
    “I thought it was because of the shoulder injury he got during the playoffs his last year?”
    “That was more of a handy excuse to bow out gracefully. When he volunteered to do the community hockey clinic the hospital sponsored, he still looked amazing on the ice.”
    “I’m sure he did.” Matt took another long drink of his coffee and balled up the paper his