Arrogant Bastard - Julie Capulet Page 0,11

and the bridge of her nose. She has a quirky bob hairdo, flicking in impertinent little waves that curl against her graceful neck.

Jesus.

My heartbeat lurches into an up-tempo beat and my chest feels weirdly hot.

She’s cute as fuck.

Luna, her friend called her.

Not my usual type at all, but seriously gorgeous … in a young, sassy, carefree kind of way.

Another tear draws a shiny line down Josie’s face. She takes Luna’s hand. “I’m going to have to sell my half. It’s the only way I can afford the medical costs, the food, the equipment, the clothes and whatever else babies need. I’m going to need money, Loon. As much money as I can get my hands on. It’s the only way I’ll possibly survive this.”

Luna’s face looks stricken. This detail is strangely unacceptable to me. Why, I have no idea. “Sell?” she says. “But … to who?”

“We’ll find a silent investor,” Josie says. “You know, someone who can contribute from their office in New York or somewhere. So you can make all the decisions and run the place without having to answer to anyone.”

Luna smiles weakly. “I’m sure such a person exists.”

“We’ll never know unless we advertise. We might be surprised.”

“But, Josie, are you sure you really want to do this?”

“I don’t want to do it, Luna, not at all. But this isn’t about me anymore.” Josie places her palm on her stomach. “It’s about them. These babies. I have to do what’s best for them now.”

I’m mildly impressed by Josie’s dedication. Whoever the father is, he’s clearly out of the picture. I’m also impressed by the way Luna shakes off her obvious fear over the impending situation. In fact, I’m inexplicably riveted by this entire conversation.

Luna gently squares her shoulders. “All right. Yes. You’re right. If that’s what you want to do, then I’ll help you get your money out of the business. I just have one request before we try to find an investor.”

“Anything.”

“Let me buy out two more percent, so I have the majority share.”

“Oh,” says Josie. “I forgot about that. That’s right, I own fifty-one percent.” She considers this for a few seconds. “Why did we do that again?”

“Because Marlon acted as a guarantor. It was the only way we could get a mortgage that big. We figured that was worth a few percent, remember?”

“Oh, yeah.”

Luna glances at a customer, who’s sitting down onto the bar stool next to mine. A woman. Blond. Full make-up. She might have stepped out of the same styling school as Crystal. Come to think of it, most of the women I’ve been with over the past year could have stepped out of the same styling school as Crystal. Why do I always go for the vapid, trying-too-hard-but-never-quite-succeeding dye-job desperados?

It’s then that two things happen. I get my first real look at Luna’s face as her glance falls lightly onto me. As I do, I can admit it’s a moment that I know will stick in my mind for … I hate to say eternity, but there it is. She’s fucking stunning. It’s a pure, offhand beauty that hits me right in the middle of my chest. And lower. I can feel myself getting hard right here at the bar.

Fucking hell.

But there’s nothing I can do to stop the effect she’s having on me. I want to take her somewhere. I want to stare at her for a while without interruption. You can tell she wakes up in the morning like this. Tousled and bright-eyed with fresh, dewy skin and those naturally bee-stung lips.

I want to wake up with her. After spending the night tasting every inch of that smooth skin and those petal-pink lips.

What the fuck?

I don’t wake up with women. I leave when I’m done with them.

As she briefly contemplates me, I wait for the fascination to take hold. The usual awe. But if she notices me at all, it’s light and fleeting. Her attention is already being diverted back to the conversation with her friend.

Wait, I want to say. Don’t turn away from me yet.

I have a strong urge to interrupt her.

“Well, there’s an easy solution to the fifty-one percent,” Josie is saying. “I’ll gift it to you. We’ll write it into the contract that whoever buys my half is buying forty-nine percent.”

“Okay. Yes.” Luna pauses. “But let me give you something for it. I don’t have any cash in the bank but—”

“No, Luna. It’s a gift. I’m not going to leave you in the lurch. I’ll make sure