Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 52277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 261(@200wpm)___ 209(@250wpm)___ 174(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 261(@200wpm)___ 209(@250wpm)___ 174(@300wpm)
But so perfect for the fucking he wanted to give her.
****
Angie turned away from delivering the color she had mixed for Rita and practically slammed into a clearly panicked Janice. The woman's face was pale and she held her cell phone clutched to her chest. "I've got to go. Like right now."
A sliver of immediate concern landed in Angie's stomach. "What's wrong?"
"The school called. Bethany's running a high fever and throwing up."
"Oh, poor baby. Okay, no problem; I've got you covered."
"I'll run go get her and then I'll call and cancel my last two appointments from home, but can you take care of him?" Janice's eyes grew even wider as she tipped her head in the direction of the man who Angie had begun thinking of as Damian, the Devil Incarnate.
Her heart skipped a beat as she focused on him. Her stomach tripped up with butterflies, but she pasted a look of bravado on her face that she was far from feeling, so that her friend would be reassured. "Sure. I'll take care of him. You go on. Take care of Bethany."
"Thanks. I've already washed his hair. I'm going to grab my stuff and hit the road, okay?"
"Yep, no problem," Angie answered as she reached out and gave Janice a quick hug, feeling the tension in the other woman's frame. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Janice shook her head and Angie was shocked to see tears in her friend's eyes. The other girl looked back at Angie as if making a huge confession. "I'm sinking financially. My credit cards are so close to maxed that it's not funny. When Danny walked out on us, he took everything and left my credit in shambles. Just coming up with the co-pay for the doctor is stressing me so much that I feel sick."
"Do you have enough?" Angie asked with concern.
Her friend blew out a breath. "Just barely."
"What about the prescriptions? Do you need some help with those?" she asked.
"No, I think I've got it covered."
Angie felt a shot of anger at the absentee father. Danny had been a dick galore and that wasn't anything new. But Janice had hidden her financial problems so well that Angie hadn't had a single clue. "Try not to worry, okay? Focus on getting Bethany well and then we'll think of something. I've got some savings, I can help you out."
"I can't take your money, Angie."
"We'll see. I know we can think of something. At the very least I'm damn good at squeezing a dime out of a nickel." The two women hugged again, and after they parted, Angie went to the back room and slowly counted to ten as she took a few stabilizing breaths before going back out to face what she knew she must. Looking at herself in the mirror, she inhaled deeply and tried to calm her shaking hands before turning toward the door with determination.
****
Damian looked passed his reflection in the mirror and watched, entranced, as Goth girl walked up behind him and immediately began babbling, "So Janice had to leave because her kiddo is sick. I'm Angie and I'm going to cut your hair today if that's okay?"
Her voice was feminine and husky, and his brain temporarily short-circuited as all the blood in his body seemed to pool to his groin at the mere thought of her even touching his hair. He gritted his teeth, fisted his hands around the arms of the seat to keep from grabbing her and locking her to him. Could he sit still while she touched him without reaching out and picking her up and carrying her out of here? He tightened his abs and nodded once in answer to her question and watched in fascination as she lifted a black comb to his scalp.
Her hands looked delicate and soft, with beautiful slender fingers that ended in tapered fingernails. Fingernails painted black. His insides clenched with arousal, but his brain fought the involuntary reaction to the inappropriate sight.
Her black-tipped fingers were trembling subtly and without thinking about his actions, he lifted a hand and wrapped it around a blue-veined wrist. "You okay?" he bit out.
She raised her eyes to his in the mirror, licked her lips and sucked in a deep breath. He could see the pulse beating visibly in her throat but she didn't answer him. He'd bet his last dollar she couldn't answer him, and he knew in that second that he affected her the same way that she affected him.
Well, shit.
Good fucking luck trying to stay away from her now, Rule.
****
The guy was hot, no question about it. And he was even hotter up close like this. But Jesus, that didn't mean she had to tremble, did it? She glanced at him in the mirror and was able to clear her throat and get her vocal chords working enough to answer his question. "Yeah, I'm fine. You just want a trim, right?" At her words, his grip tightened on her wrist, sending a heated rush to the juncture of her thighs, but then he dropped his hand back to the arm of the chair.