Hot Property (Hot Zone 4)

Wedding? A voice inside Amy’s head echoed and her stomach cramped.

“As in, you and a member of the opposite sex making a permanent commitment? Someone give me a fan. I think I’m going to faint.” Sophie waved a hand in front of her face, mocking him and chuckling at the same time.

“Did you hear that, John? They think you’re getting married.” The woman by his side, a different woman from the last one Amy had seen him with, laughed in real amusement.

When she turned around, Amy realized the other woman was much younger than she’d originally thought. Certainly younger than Amy and definitely younger than John Roper.

“John’s not my fiancé, he’s my brother,” the other woman explained.

Amy let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She wanted to dismiss the wave of relief washing over her, but she couldn’t. Roper wasn’t getting married and she could breathe again. Obviously, despite her frustration with him over their first meeting, the attraction was still there, strong as ever.

“Ah, now that makes more sense.” Sophie nodded in understanding. “I couldn’t see you taking yourself off the market, and I definitely couldn’t see the papers missing out on the courtship.”

“Ha, ha,” Roper muttered.

While they were sparring, Amy took a moment to look at the younger woman with fresh eyes. With the family connection made, Amy saw the resemblance now—the sandy-blond hair, the shape and color of their green eyes and the matching dimples.

“Sabrina, meet everyone here.” Roper inclined his head towards his sibling. “Everyone, meet my sister, Sabrina.” He finished the introductions with a quick wave of his hand.

“Nice to meet you all.” Sabrina smiled, once again reinforcing the family resemblance. “I wish I could stay and hang out, but I’ve got to go find my fiancé.”

“Nice to meet you,” Amy murmured, but Roper’s sister had taken off before she could hear the reply.

Sophie glanced at her watch. “I should follow her lead. Riley should have been here by now.”

“Go on. I’ll take good care of Amy while you’re gone.”

Sophie shot Amy a look of concern, but Amy didn’t want the other woman worrying about her or thinking she couldn’t handle herself with one of Hot Zone’s clients.

Amy put on her brightest smile. “Say hi to Riley and tell him I’ll catch up with him in a few minutes,” Amy said.

“Are you sure?” Sophie’s gaze bounced between Amy and Roper.

Roper pushed off from where he was leaning against the wall and rose to his full, overwhelming height.

“Don’t worry about me,” Roper said, treating Amy to a w

ink and a grin that caused a tingling straight down to her toes.

“I wasn’t. Amy?” Sophie asked.

“Go find my cousin and give him a kiss for me.” She dismissed the other woman’s worry with an encouraging smile.

Sophie turned to Roper. “You know that Riley will kick your ass if you misbehave, so be good to Amy. She’s new in town.”

He cocked an eyebrow, throwing a sexy look her way. “When am I ever not good?”

Which was exactly what had Amy on edge. But she was a big girl. She could handle herself, as well as John Roper.

Sophie frowned, but after a lingering glance at Amy, took off to find her husband, leaving them alone.

Roper stepped closer. And Amy knew she was in deep trouble.

CHAPTER TWO

WHEN YANK INSISTED ROPER show up at this gig, he’d agreed under duress. Now Roper realized fate wanted him here so it could present him with the one thing he needed—a distraction from his career problems, his sister’s wedding and his brother’s constant whining about a loan. Amy Stone provided that distraction. Apparently life had given him a second chance, and he decided to take this as the first positive sign in ages. Maybe things were looking up after all.

He vividly recalled the instant attraction he’d felt for Amy the first time he’d laid eyes on her. And the stirring in his body told him that much hadn’t changed. He’d gone to the wedding out of obligation, still in a funk over the blown World Series. But one look at the pretty brunette and all thoughts of his problems had fled. She’d been a breath of fresh air in his down-and-out life. He’d actually forgotten all about his date, mostly because she was simply arm candy and hadn’t meant anything to him at all. Not that that was an excuse. Although Roper liked women, all women—blond, brunette or redhead, natural or from a bottle—when he looked at Amy, the punch in the gut had been harder and more defined.