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“Yeah, you too. Watch out for flying boxes.”
“And doors, and men who are just in bad moods all the way around.” She winked, and I couldn’t help but watch every step she made until she disappeared from view.
I thought Cara Winston was a cool chick when she hung with Vigil. Spending a little time with Candy, I wondered if I had the wrong idea about the entire family. Then an image of Ethan Winston popped into my head, and I knew that at least one of them had a stick up their ass. Fucking cop.
CHAPTER FIVE
CANDY
Ihad one appointment after another, and the last thing I wanted to do at the end of my scheduled appointments was return to the tavern and do an estimate for the stabilization. It wasn’t that I was tired; I would have to see Michael Bollard again, and I wasn’t sure what to think about that.
He had been on the outskirts of my mind all day. I repeatedly played back every word we had said to one another until I had analyzed every aspect of our conversations—and yet, I still didn’t know what to think of all of it. Then I scrutinized the power of that kiss and wondered if it were a one-time thing or if it would happen again—if, by chance, we accidentally kissed again.
Part of myself was shaking my head and saying, oh, girl, you donotwant to cross that line again. He is not for you. Forget it and move on—and do it quick.
Yet, another piece of me argued that if the kiss were that good, perhaps a spin around the bedroom wouldn’t be so bad. That was the part of my soul that craved excitement. It wanted to dare my careful self to do something it had never done before. It wanted me to let down my hair and live a little. It yearned for me to avoid the right thing and dive headfirst into the deep end.
That was the part that was scared to return. Somewhere deep inside of me, I knew that something else would happen if I did go back. Perhaps we would kiss again, or that tiny sliver of dark fun that resided in me would burst forth and jump into bed with him. I knew on so many levels how wrong that was, and still, the thought of having sex with Michael had me shifting in my seat and gnawing on my bottom lip.
I could call Howard and tell him that I wouldn’t make it tonight, but it hadn’t been Howard that I had committed to. It had been Michael. Would he believe me if I called and said I was tired and made arrangements to do it another time? Like early in the morning, when thoughts of sex weren’t so inclined to be on my mind.
I pondered a previous conversation where I told him I hadn’t had good sex in years. What had possessed me to speak those words? Was I daring him to prove me wrong? Oh, my god! Maybe Ihaddone that! Had I just waved a red cape in front of a wild bull?
I drove to the tavern and thought of everything I knew about Michael Bollard. I frowned. That took less than two minutes because I knew so little about the man. Would Cara think me weird if I called her and asked about him? Or wait. I could contact Bryan and ask him!
The instant that thought shot through my mind, I brushed it away and realized that I couldn’t even think about Bollard as anything more than a bartender. Geez, if he learned that Bryan was Ryan and that he was alive and married to my sister, it could cause a world of issues.
Or would it? Michael wasn’t in the club anymore. Would he even care?
I had no clue. All I knew was that I needed to get to the tavern, go straight to the basement, and get this estimate done. Then I would go home, take a hot shower, and pull out my favorite toy. Who needed a guy when you had rechargeable toys?
When I arrived, there were still quite a few people in the restaurant and bar area. Bollard was on the far side of the bar, laughing at something a woman had said as he set a drink down. He collected the cash from her and went straight to the register. He didn’t look my way until he had returned her change and glanced around.
The minute his eyes landed on mine, the temperature in the room went up. I swear it did. As I set my bag on the bar, I tried to smile, which probably looked more like a grimace.
“You look tired.”
“I am. It’s been a hectic day.”
“Do you want to do this later?”
“I wish I could, but I’m booked all week. This would be the only time I could fit you in until late next week.”
“Alright, but it can wait if you’re too tired.”
“Thanks, but I’d rather get this done now.”
“I appreciate that.”
He turned and spoke to another bartender, telling him he was heading down to the basement with me for a few minutes. I sure hoped he didn’t hang around because he was a distraction I didn’t want right now.
After thinking about Cara and Ryan on the ride over here, I realized that anything with this man would be dangerous. No matter what I wanted, I couldn’t put my sister and her family in jeopardy.
“You don’t need to come down,” I told him as he started to step away. “I know where it is, and I need to concentrate while running the laser around to get exact measurements.”
“Okay, if you are sure you don’t need me for anything.”
Whew! I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. “Nope, I got this. I’ll let you know if I do, Michael.”
