Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 107557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
“When at home, I usually wear leggings or yoga pants. Like I am now. In the dead of winter, I might pull out a pair of comfy sweatpants. But I love dressing up and have ever since I was little.” Her mouth curved into a soft smile. “I was that little girl who always snuck into my mother’s closet to try on her high heels or slip on one of her dresses. Or play with her makeup. I didn’t want to dress up dolls, I wanted to dress up myself. It was one of my favorite things to do growing up. When I was younger, I always dreamed of being a model.”
Interesting. He could see her walking a runway and owning it just like she did the stage at The Peach Pit. “And?”
“And then I learned how brutal that industry is. And,” she shrugged, “I like to eat.”
“I like to eat, too.” Not just food, either.
“Furthermore, with dancing, I make money while keeping in shape. But I don’t have to starve myself or work out with a trainer for hours upon hours. I still walk a stage and get to wear pretty or cool outfits. Only I get to have fun with it, instead of looking like a robot with no expression or personality while strutting down a catwalk. I consider it a win-win situation.”
He agreed. Especially for him. He never would’ve met her if she hadn’t been working in the Demons-run club. “It’s definitely a win for everyone witnessing your skill on stage.”
“You’ve only seen me dance once.”
“And what a fucking routine that was.”
She weaved her way around another jam-packed rack and didn’t stop until she was inches from him.
She rose on her toes, planted a hand on his bare chest to lean into him and gave him a light kiss.
Really, she didn’t have to stretch far, she was taller than most women he knew. She had to be around five-foot-eight, only four inches shorter than him. Unless she was wearing a pair of her crazy platform heels, then she could look at him eye-to-eye or was actually even taller than him.
Wrapping an arm around her lower back, he pulled her into him, crushing what had to be at least double-D tits against his bare chest. For being enhanced, they looked pretty damn real.
The magic of modern medicine. But he wondered how big she was before the implants. As he opened his mouth to ask, he thought better of it. He’d rather get a second shot at seeing her naked in private than be thrown out into the cold.
She cupped his bearded cheek. “You could’ve kept sleeping.”
“And you should’ve woken me up. I had plans.”
“Well, those plans will have to wait. I have to go to work.”
He stared down into her still makeup-free face, her eyes sparkling like two sapphires. “What time do you work?”
That sparkle dimmed. “Tonight’s going to be another late one. I need to be there by four to get ready and I work until two.”
“Damn.”
“Agreed.”
“I might have to head over there tonight. To look for T-Bone, of course.”
“Of course. Hungry?”
“Starving.”
“I can make you something before I leave.”
“You don’t have to. I can pick something up on my way home.”
“I have to eat, too, so you’re welcome to join me.”
“And I appreciate the invite and would love to try your cooking another time. But I have to check in with the task force since I slept through most of the day already. I don’t think I’ve slept this late since I was fifteen.”
“Your parents let you sleep in that late? If it wasn’t a school day, I was told to get my ass out of bed and do my assigned chores.”
He chuckled. “I only got to sleep in when my mother worked on the weekends. My father didn’t care. He said I needed the rest because I was a growing boy. But my mother?” He shook his head with the memory of her plowing through the door and yelling at him to stop being a lazy bum.
At the time he was pissed. Now, he appreciated the fact she instilled in him a good work ethic. Both his parents worked hard as long as he could remember. At least until his father died a few years back.
She patted his chest. “Okay, even if you aren’t going to stay and eat, I need to fuel up and then get ready for work.”
When he reluctantly released her, she began to move past him, but a sudden question wedged its way into his brain.
“Hey…” He snagged her wrist and swung her around to face him again.
Her eyebrows rose in question.
“Do you often bring home men from the club?”
“Are you sure you want to ask that?”
“Yes… No… Yes… Fuck… No… Goddamn it.” He sucked in a breath and squeezed his eyes shut. He forced out between clenched teeth, “Yes.” Not knowing if the answer would haunt him.