The Agent Read Online Elle Kennedy

Categories Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Erotic, Suspense Tags Authors:
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Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 61427 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 307(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
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Too bad none of that had succeeded in actually exorcising him from her mind.

“I’m not too happy with the cops, either,” Gwen said with a frown. “I still can’t believe they thought you were involved.”

Marley’s lips tightened. “Detective Hernandez couldn’t accept that I was so naive. How could I not know my fiancé was a criminal?”

“You weren’t naive. Patrick was just a good liar.”

“Yeah, he was.” Marley picked up her mug, along with Gwen’s empty one, and set them both in the sink. “At least the police are finally leaving me alone. I only hope it stays that way. Now, can we please stop talking about Patrick?”

Gwen’s face brightened. “Okay. Can we talk about Nick’s friend then?”

Marley suppressed a groan. “I told you, I’m not interested.”

“I’m not suggesting you marry the guy. It’s just a date. One measly little date. You said you were ready to date again.”

“No, I said I might be.” She blew a stray strand of hair off her forehead. “But a blind date isn’t the way I want to go about it, okay? I’m not having dinner with a complete stranger. It’s too forced, too…intimate.”

“Then we’ll make it a double date.”

“No.” Without looking at Gwen, she swallowed back the bitterness sticking to her throat and added, “I can’t agree to go out with a stranger. I can’t do it, Gwen. Not now, anyway.”

“Fine, but the subject’s not closed, you know. We’ll talk about it later.” Gwen hopped off the stool, her brown curls bouncing on her shoulders, and reached for the black leather purse she’d set on the counter. “I have to run. I’m meeting Nick for lunch.”

Marley followed her friend out of the kitchen, her bare feet slapping against the weathered hardwood floor. They reached the front hall, sidestepping the stack of two-by-fours obstructing the way. Marley’s younger brother, Sam, had promised to extend the coat closet by a couple feet, so last weekend he’d come over and hacked away at the wall. Then he’d gotten a phone call and taken off to handle a work emergency. He hadn’t been back since, and Marley was now left with a gaping hole in the floor and all the supplies he’d brought into her hallway.

She didn’t mind, though. Sam was busy working at their dad’s construction company, and it made her happy he was doing well. Her brother had always been irresponsible and scatterbrained growing up. It was nice seeing him act like an adult, even if it did mean he’d left his sister in the lurch.

Gwen paused on the front porch. “Want to come to lunch with us?” she offered.

“Thanks, but I’ll pass.” Marley was so not in the mood to watch Gwen make googly eyes at her long-time boyfriend. The two of them still acted as if they were in the mushy newlywed stage when in fact they’d been together for years.

Her friend looked suspicious. “How are you planning to spend the rest of your day off?”

“Cleaning out the eaves,” she said, fighting back a smile.

Gwen blew out a frustrated breath. “You’re incorrigible.”

Marley’s smile reached the surface. “Yeah, but you love me anyway.”

“Can’t argue that. All right, I’ll see you at the hospital tomorrow.” Gwen leaned in to give her a quick side hug, then bounded down the porch steps toward the shiny black Jeep parked behind the red Mazda convertible Marley had owned since she was eighteen years old.

Marley waved at her friend, watched Gwen speed away, then walked back inside. Alone, she let out a heavy sigh. Talking about Patrick always brought this awful feeling to her stomach. A cross between sorrow and bitterness, with a hefty dose of anger thrown into the mix. Everyone in her life kept pushing her to forget about him—Gwen, their friends from the hospital, her dad, her brother.

None of them seemed to get it. They didn’t understand how badly Patrick had hurt her. Not only that, but he’d taken a skewer to her judgment and punched so many holes in it she wasn’t sure she could ever trust her instincts again.

What kind of woman fell in love with a murderer? How could she have been so blind to Patrick’s deception? She knew she wasn’t the first and wouldn’t be the last woman to be duped by a man. Heck, she’d once watched an entire documentary about serial killers and how they skillfully deceived their loved ones.

But that didn’t make this situation any better. She still felt like a fool. She’d completely fallen for Patrick’s lies and she hated how easily he’d conned her. He’d even convinced her to open a joint savings account, saying they’d need one anyway when they were married. Good thing she hadn’t gotten around to depositing anything into it, but it still irked—especially since she couldn’t close the damn thing because the cops had frozen it.



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