Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 36999 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 185(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 123(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36999 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 185(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 123(@300wpm)
"Good." I beam at him, deciding to twist the knife all the way in. "Then can you please tell Keegan that his sister is here to see him?"
Coby stares at me, his expression completely level. "You're Elodie?"
"Yep. Would you like to see my ID to prove it?" I bat my lashes at him. "I'd be happy to show it to you since you're apparently my brother's guard dog."
He mutters something under his breath that sounds like a threat to spank me.
"Excuse me?"
"I said I don't need your ID. You have his smartass fucking mouth."
"Maybe he got my smart mouth."
Coby actually cracks a smile. It softens him slightly, makes him seem way less cranky. "Maybe he did. Yours is certainly sharper than his. Stay here. I'll get him."
"Are you always this bossy?"
He pins me with a hard look.
"Just a question." I give him a bright smile. I kind of want to bite him, though.
He mumbles something I don't catch and then turns to stomp down the hall. I watch him until he's out of sight and then turn to look at Gemma with wide eyes.
"What the heck?" she whispers.
"Hot, bossy, rude…."
"Oh, you like him."
"Uh, no."
"You do. You're blushing."
"Shut up," I mumble, pressing my hands to my cheeks to cool them off. She's right, darn it. I do like him. I don't even know why because he's cranky as hell. But there's just something about him and that attitude that makes me want to push his buttons.
Huh. Maybe life in Silver Spoon Falls won't be so bad after all.
No. What am I thinking? He's Keegan's best friend. Letting myself feel anything for him would just be asking for trouble, and that's the last thing I need. I just moved here.
I need to stay far, far away.
Chapter One
Coby
Now
She's here again, her laughter spilling down the hall.
I grit my teeth, trying to steel myself against the sultry sound. Not that it does a damn bit of good. I'm an addict for that laugh, helpless to resist the impact it has on me. My cock stiffens in my pants, pressing insistently against the zipper. My heart thumps unsteadily against my ribcage.
Fucking hell. This is torture.
The day it stops will be the day I lose my fucking mind.
I want Elodie Jackman like I want air.
Unfortunately, that isn't in the cards for me. She's my best friend's baby sister, and she can't stand the sight of me. I opened my mouth the first time I met her two months ago and pissed her off. She still hasn't forgiven me for it. I'm beginning to think she never will.
When she's at the tattoo shop where her brother and I work, she keeps a wide berth, avoiding me at all costs. Sometimes, I think I imagine her eyes on me. But when I look, she quickly finds somewhere else to be.
No, Elodie doesn't want me. She doesn't want a fucking thing to do with me. If I thought I stood a chance with the curvy bombshell, she'd already be screaming my name.
Her brother, Keegan, would love that.
Ha. He'd lose his mind if he found out that I jack my cock to thoughts of bending her over and eating her until she's screaming the roof down. I wouldn't even stop then. I'd just keep going, gorging myself on that delectable body until she was a mess in my arms.
"Yo, Coby!"
Footsteps thump down the hall between his tattoo booth and mine.
I mutter a curse, dropping into my chair to hide the state of my cock just as Keegan barges into my booth. My gaze shifts past him to the curvy bombshell trying to hide behind him.
Elodie.
She looks edible today. Her dark hair hangs loose around her face. She isn't wearing makeup, but she doesn't need it. She's naturally gorgeous, with big, bright hazel eyes, a perfect complexion, and full lips. Her ink looks gorgeous against her golden skin. Keegan is responsible for every tattoo she has.
I want to trace every fucking one with my tongue.
Her retro pinup dress molds to her curves. The light blue fabric looks gorgeous against her skin. The polka dots don't make her look ridiculous. They make her look fucking sexy. So does the hint of cleavage the halter reveals.
It should be illegal to look as good as she does.
She meets my gaze, the smile on her lips shrinking. Her laughter dries up. She stares at me in silence, those big, bright eyes locked on me.
Does she know how hard I am for her right now? Is that why she hates being in the same room with me? Because she knows exactly what I'm thinking anytime she's near me?
I've tried like hell to hide it since she moved to town, but I think she knows. She hasn't said anything to Keegan yet, though. Perhaps because I try to avoid her as much as she does me. My brother, Bronx, works at a BDSM club here in town. I know enough about consent to know that it fucking matters. No means no. If she isn't interested, harassing her won't change her mind.