AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Quinley could sense that, while he agreed with the latter, his instinct to keep her here wasn’t shifting. He didn’t intend to act on it, but he couldn’t shake it off.
She twisted so she fully faced him. “I’ll admit that you being Tate’s bodyguard makes me nervous. Being an enforcer carries enough danger. That you’re also the shield of the pride member who’s the biggest target… yeah, I don’t much like it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I want you to give up the position,” she hurried to add.
He laid a reassuring hand on her knee. “I understand. We’re in the same boat. I don’t want you to give up your job, but I’m protective enough that I’ll worry.” He gave her knee a squeeze. “Thank you for that piece of honesty. I know you only confessed it to make me feel better.”
Busted. “Did it work?”
“Yes. I like that there’s a balance.” He slanted his head. “What is your job at the salon?”
“It doesn’t really have a title. People sometimes call it, ‘the regular brush with near-death,’” she added with an amused smile, thinking he’d return it. He didn’t.
“That does not make me feel better about you leaving for work.”
“They’re being dramatic.”
“What is it you do that would make them give such a dramatic answer?”
Probably something he wouldn’t like, actually, now that she thought about it. “The salon offers what has become a very popular pamper day package. So, basically, someone will come to the salon, shift so their inner animal can be bathed and groomed, return to their human form to receive a massage, and then go have their hair, nails, and makeup done.”
He stared at her for a long moment. “Please don’t tell me you bathe and groom their animals.”
Yeah, he definitely wasn’t pleased. “Would you prefer I gave massages?”
“Fuck, no.” He lowered his gaze to her hands. “They’re my hands now.” He set down his cup. “And I don’t want them getting bitten off.”
“It’s rare that I get bit or clawed.”
He pressed his lips together. “Again, this isn’t making me feel better about you leaving.”
He truly was super cute. “Really, it’s not dangerous. I use my healing energy to help relax and soothe them while I do my pampering part of the package. And shifters know that if their animals bite me they have to pay double, so they’re particularly careful of ensuring the beasts behave themselves.”
“Still not feeling better over here.”
Snorting, Quinley slipped off the stool. “I’ll be fine, I swear. And I really have to go, but I’ll be back around five-thirty.”
“You’d better come back unharmed or I’ll be pissed.” Rising from his stool, he dropped a kiss on her temple. “Have a good day at work.”
“You, too.”
“Drive safely, and call me if you need me.”
She saluted him. “Will do. Watch your ass, not just that of your Alpha.”
The drive to Blue Harbor beauty salon took only twenty minutes. She parked her car in the small lot across from it. The lot was used mostly by employees of the short row of businesses on that particular street.
The bell above the salon’s door chimed as she stepped inside. The scents of fruity hair products, astringent nail polish, lemon cleaner, and chemical dyes washed over her—all of which were designed for shifters, so the smells didn’t irritate her senses.
The small reception area was simple but stylish. Buttercream plush chairs were positioned near the floor-to-ceiling window, along with a round coffee table on which piles of glossy magazines rested. Products lined a glass shelving case pressed against the far wall. Among them were shampoos, hand creams, massage oils, and small bottles of nail polish.
Framed posters of glamorous hair models were hung on the white walls, not only in the reception area but between the large mirrors at the two individual hair stations.
Stood behind the curved, tidy white counter on which a computer, phone, and card reader sat, Adaline smiled at her. She was their main hairstylist, not the receptionist. But since having to fire their receptionist a few weeks back, they’d all pitched in with reception duties while they waited for the Crimson Alpha female to hire a replacement. Nel didn’t come to the salon often, but she took care of the behind-the-scenes managerial side of things.
Raya was a master with more trendier haircuts and elaborate updos, so her clients tended to be younger. Lori was their nail technician, masseuse, and makeup artist. Quinley helped out Adaline where necessary by washing clients’ hair when she wasn’t otherwise busy. As a team, they made it work.
“Hey, you,” greeted Adaline. “How’s mated life?”
“The same as it was half an hour ago, when I replied to the text in which you asked that exact question,” said Quinley.
