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)
But it's far too late to take it back now. I made my bed. I guess I have to lay in it.
"Suck it up, buttercup," I mumble to myself, taking a deep breath. I quickly smooth my skirt over my hips, slap a smile on my face, and sail through the doors of the shop. My heels click across the black and white tile.
Coby whirls around to face me, his eyes twin blue flames of malcontent. They match his worn t-shirt perfectly. "You're late."
"Hello to you too, Cranky." I drop my bag on the counter, smirking at him. "The drive over was great, thanks. Yes, I had a lovely morning. Thanks for asking."
A warning growl rumbles in his throat. "Stop fucking with me, Elodie. You were supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago."
"No, I wasn't. Slade told me to be here at two. I'm fifteen minutes early." I point at the clock hanging over the counter, which is half an hour off. "That clock is wrong."
He whips his phone out of his pocket, checks the time, and then curses.
"If that's settled, I'll just go find Keegan…"
"He isn't here."
"What do you mean, he isn't here?" I narrow my eyes on him. "He's supposed to be here."
"He had to run out for something."
"Fine. Where's Slade?"
"Out with Keegan."
The first vestiges of panic begin to swirl through me. It's day one and I'm alone in the shop with Coby? Sweet merciful Jesus. This was not supposed to happen. Slade and Keegan were supposed to be here to act as a buffer.
"Then I'll just go clean something," I mumble, slipping past him.
He lets me go without a word. Huh. Maybe Bronx hasn't told him that Gemma had his invitation? Could I really be that lucky?
I don't stick around to find out. I scurry down the hall with my head down.
The booths here are all private rooms with private bathrooms attached. The place is seriously upscale, designed with comfort and cleanliness in mind. The billionaires who call this town home don't feel out of place here. Slade made sure of it. The art hanging on the walls is tasteful, interspersed with photos of the guys posing with some of the celebrities they've inked since Slade opened the shop.
Keegan only moved here for the job a year ago. He's made this place a home, though. I'm excited to do the same. It's been a long time since we had one of those. At least one that felt like home.
Silver Spoon Falls feels like it could be that place for me too. There are no bad memories here, no painful reminders of my childhood or how much we struggled back then. It's a fresh start. I desperately need that.
As I walk past Coby's booth, he grabs me from behind, hauling me up against his hard body. I didn't even hear him following me.
"What—?" I don't get to finish the sentence as he spins me around.
His arresting eyes flash holy fire at me before his mouth comes down on mine in a hard kiss. I shouldn't kiss him back, I know this. But I'm weak and needy, and his lips are on mine. The small metal stud in his lip rolls against mine. I groan, melting against him as soon as I feel it. He licks inside my mouth, his tongue piercing dancing along mine. I shiver, loving the way it feels.
Somehow, he shuffles me inside his booth, pinning me against the wall. His harder frame presses against mine in one long, delicious line. Rational thought spirals away. Everything but the feel of him all over me vanishes.
"You stole my invitation," he growls against my lips. "Did you think I wouldn't find out?"
"No," I gasp. "I knew y-you would."
"Jesus. You wanted to get caught."
I don't lie to him. I can't. "Yes."
"Why?"
"You know why, Coby."
"No. Tell me, princess."
"You think I hate you." I bite his bottom lip, punishing him for that. "But we both know you're the one who thinks I'm beneath you. You're the one who judges the hell out of me every time I walk through the doors." I pull his hair, not playing fair. "Maybe I wanted to prove you right."
"Jesus Christ." He rips his mouth from mine, pressing his lips against my throat with a rumbling groan. "You think I'm judging you, Elodie?"
"I know you are."
You know nothing." He drags his teeth down the tendon in the side of my neck. "The only thing I'm thinking about when I see you is how far down your throat I can fit my cock," he growls. "The only thing I'm judging is how loud you'll scream when you're coming on my tongue." He sucks at the sensitive skin of my throat, sending pulses straight to my clit. "The only thing I'm imagining is how many times I can make you come on my cock before you pass out."