Page 136 of The Wright Man

Another family walked in through the front. A dad with two teenage boys. Not her. A couple in matching sweatshirts. Not her. A group of coworkers on lunch break. Still not her.

I tried not to let the tension show.

Kept smiling. Kept nodding. Kept moving.

But I was waiting for the moment the air shifted. The moment she walked through that door and everything clicked into place.

Around 8pm, about thirty minutes before the open house wrapped, I saw her.

And for a second—maybe longer than that—I forgot where the fuck I was. Forgot we had people inside a warehouse we'd built from sweat and scraped-together savings. Forgot my job was to be host, boss, and co-founder.

Because there she was.

My Angel. In camo compression leggings that hugged every inch of her, a black sports bra that made her breasts look like something a lesser man would risk it all for, and sneakers that said she'd come prepared for whatever I threw her way. Her curls were up in a high ponytail, wild and perfect, no makeup on her face, not a single piece of jewelry on. And still—still—she took my damn breath away.

She didn't need armor. She was the weapon.

"You good, bro?" Riq's voice broke through, but he didn't wait for my answer. Followed my line of sight, then damn near choked on his gum. "Oh shit... That your girl?"

I kept my focus on her, but I couldn't help the smile tugging at my lips. The real one. The one I didn't wear for anybody but her.

"Yeah."

Riq let out a long-ass whistle, tossing a GhostFit tee and a water bottle into a duffel bag for the customer in front of him. "Daaaaamn," he said under his breath. "She every bit as fine as you made her sound. Might shoot my shot if you too punk ass—"

"I'll put you in the dirt," I said, quiet and calm, my eyes never leaving her as we locked eyes across the room. Her face lit up like sunrise when she spotted me.

Riq laughed, throwing his hands up. "Damn, relax, Captain Possessive. I was jokin'."

"Keep jokin', see where that gets you."

"Hostile ass," he muttered, then nodded toward the customer I was halfway helping. "I got this one. Go see about your lady."

I didn't need to be told twice.

She met me halfway, all smiles and flushed cheeks, looking at me like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. And maybe she couldn't. Hell, I still barely believed it.

"Leek!" she beamed, breathless, like she was actually excited to see me. Her voice alone eased something in me I didn't even realize had been tight all day.

I folded her into a hug before I could stop myself, arms wrapping around her like muscle memory. She smelled like citrus and soft things and heat. Her body pressed into mine like she belonged there—and then, just as quickly, she pulled away.

Faster than usual.

Fair.

I'd damn near dry-humped her in Cap's driveway last time we touched. I couldn't blame her for keeping a buffer between us now. Still stung, though.

"Look at you," I said, stepping back just enough to rake my gaze over her from head to toe, "GI Jane."

She laughed, rolling her eyes. "I wanted to fit the theme. Wasn't sure if you were gonna make me do jumping jacks or some shit, so I came ready."

I tried not to picture her breasts bouncing in that bra mid-jumping jack. I failed.

Before I could completely drown in the thought, Riq and Sticks swooped in like two oversized, nosey-ass vultures.

"Yo, so this the woman we've been hearing about since Kuwait," Riq said with a smirk.

Angelica raised an eyebrow at me, her lips twitching into a shy smile. "Y'all act like I'm some urban legend."