Page 20 of Indebted

Holy shit. Fifteen? What was she doing here?

Barbie mom flounced closer. “Winny’s sweet sixteen is coming up and her father and I are getting her a nose job. Poor thing had it broken playing some dastardly game in junior high.”

Winny ducked into herself. Her nose looked fine to me.

A slight crook could be seen at the bridge, but if anything I thought it made her look cuter—tough. I’d like to think she didn’t always act this shy, that deep down she was a warrior waiting for her moment.

“I see,” Justin’s voice was carefully neutral as he scooted closer to Winny to study her face. “And do you notice any breathing issues with it as it is? Trouble sleeping? Sense of smell?”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Barbie mom snapped before Winny could open her mouth.

I really wanted to kick Barbie mom out of the room.

“A lot actually,” Justin pinned her with a look, those azurite eyes flashing with annoyance.

Barbie mom’s mouth snapped shut and my respect for Justin grew a little bit.

“Now,” he diverted his attention back to the young girl before him, his voice once again soft and supple. “Can you answer the questions, Winny?”

She shook her head. “No problems.”

Her mother huffed, crossing her arms, some designer handbag swaying aggressively in her arms. “We’ll not have her looking like that for her big day. We’re getting a portrait done and…” I zoned her out. It was either that or lose my shit.

This mom didn’t know how beautiful her daughter was. She didn’t even care.

Justin rolled away from Winny to discuss logistics, sounding none too pleased. I took the opportunity to slide closer to Winny and further away from the snarling blow-up doll that was her mother.

I couldn’t help but see part of me in her. There but unseen. I guess the only compensation I had was that my mother never wanted to change how I looked.

“For what it’s worth,” I murmured to her, catching her attention. “I think your nose makes you look tough.”

She perked up before deflating again. “It doesn’t matter what I want.”

My throat grew thick and I tucked my pen away to take her hand in mine. “Taking away the bump won’t take away the toughness.” I squeezed her fingers. “You’ll still be you, and you’ll still look beautiful.”

Her smile made her look so incredibly young and my heart ached for her. If it wouldn’t have looked so unprofessional, I would’ve asked for her social media accounts to be friends.

A weight settled between my shoulders, a hot caress, and I glanced over to see Justin watching me raptly.

I released Winny’s hand, but I could’ve sworn I saw a ghost of a smile on Justin’s lips before he turned back to Barbie mom.

Chapter 8

“So,” Justin’s voice scared the shit out of me. He wasn’t at the front of the reception desk, but behind me leaning against the wall like a satisfied feline, all smooth muscle and languid grace. He’d ditched the lab coat, giving me a front row seat to the tailored genius of his clothing. They had to be custom made. No one’s clothes fit like that. “Katie Malone has a heart after all.” His smirk told me he’d caught me ogling him.

Heat burned my cheeks, not only for being caught, but because his words were true.

“Please tell me you told that piece of shit mother to go screw herself.”

He sighed and pushed off the wall to take the open chair next to me. “Katie, unfortunately that’s part of the business. Not all of it is glamourous.”

“That’s bullshit! She doesn’t want that stupid fucking nose. Her mom wants to ruin the perfectly good daughter she has by turning her into some damn clone. Do you know how that makes you feel? Never being enough? Being overlooked, when you’re right there.”

Justin’s intelligent eyes told me my slip hadn’t gone unnoticed. “I see you, Katie." His hand landed on my shoulder and squeezed.

An innocent gesture that my twisted mind turned into an erotic sensation. The heat of his palm shot straight to my belly, tugging between my legs and making my nipples perk.

The weight of Justin’s gaze didn’t help. I could feel him staring at my breasts, his jaw tightening along with his fingers.