Lord of Rain (The Dragon Demigods #5) - Charlene Hartnady Page 0,22
hook. I would normally have headed out just like this, but I have a strange feeling inside me. My stomach is wound up in knots. I’m sure my hair is a mess, but there’s not much I can do about it. I didn’t put on any makeup. I’m wearing a pair of black slacks and an old t-shirt. It’s not like I have to dress up for work or anything. It will have to do. My heart is in my throat as I push through the door leading to the front-of-house. I’m being silly. It isn’t him! Of course, it isn’t him! It can’t be him!
Holy shit!
It’s him.
He’s here.
Mr. Bolt is standing on the other side of the counter. He’s wearing a three-piece suit. Pinstripes with a pink tie. His hands are in his pockets in a casual manner, and yet there is nothing casual about this man.
My mouth has fallen open. I’m standing in the middle of the doorway. He turns his gray eyes on me, and my insides turn to mush. “Um…ah…um…” This feels like déjà vu. I can’t seem to get one word out.
“Ashley…hon’,” my mother cocks her head, “are you okay?” She frowns. The question breaks me out of my stupor.
“Um…yes…I’m good.” I plaster a smile on my face.
Mr. Bolt isn’t smiling back at me. He’s completely serious. He takes his hands out of his pockets and folds his arms across his wide chest.
“Cupcakes,” I blurt. “We have a whole array of flavors. There’s Double Chocolate, Very Berry, Coconut. The green ones,” I point at the section where the cupcakes are displayed in all their glory, “are Peppermint. The pink ones with the sprinkles are called Strawberry Delight.” We have plenty more flavors, but I force myself to stop there.
His mouth twitches.
I swallow thickly. I feel like a deer in the headlights. “Sprinkles?” He quirks a brow.
“You’re not here for cupcakes, are you?”
He shakes his head slowly. “Can we talk outside?”
The bakery is small and there are a couple of people waiting to be served. We may have lost a whole lot of our corporate clients, but we still have some regulars. Mornings are our busiest time. “Sure.” I turn to my mom, who, even though she’s serving a customer, has an eye trained in our direction. “I’ll be right back,” I say to her.
“Take your time, Ashley.” She eyes Mr. Bolt, and I swear her cheeks turn pink.
He walks to the door and then holds it open for me. I find myself wishing I’d worn something else this morning. Something newer…more fitting…better. I wish even harder that I’d worn even the lightest touch of makeup. I glance at my reflection in the window and my hair is a mess, just as I suspected.
Crud buckets!
Firstly, I’m a hot mess and secondly, I care. I care far more than I should. Thirdly, he’s here to try to talk me into working for him. I need the job. Simon needs this to happen. I turn and look into his eyes. Lord help me, but he’s beautiful. His eyes are…they’re…I’m drowning in them. I feel stupid even thinking that thought, and yet it’s true. His mouth…I want to climb him like a pole and devour it.
I think I might want him more standing here in the cold light of day. It is actually quite cold, I suddenly realize. The sky is dark. It looks like it might not just rain but storm. I know one thing. I can’t work for this man. I can’t! He’s here to try to talk me into it, and I can’t let him.
My scales are rubbing. My dragon prowling just beneath the surface. I need to head to the farm this weekend. I need to shift and to spread my wings and fly until I’m exhausted. It’s one of the things I don’t do enough. I take in the woman in front of me.
Even in a faded Pearl Jam t-shirt that looks to be a few sizes too big, she’s a fucking revelation. I thought that I might have embellished just how much she looks like the harpy did. I didn’t embellish a thing. I breathe through my mouth because she smells delicious. Like whipped cream and vanilla…and those sprinkles she was trying to sell me earlier.
The more I think about it, the more I know this is a good idea. I just need to be smart about how I handle it.
“Thank you for the very generous offer,” she speaks quickly, “but…I…as much as