Betrayed By Beauty - Ashley Lane Page 0,42

Not ever. I am not someone who gains the attention of men. Especially not ones who look like him. I narrow my eyes at him, wondering what his play is. There’s no way in hell he’s asking me on a date, so what does he want?

He looks hopeful, and every cell in my body is screaming at me to say yes.

“Yes,” my mouth blurts out the single word before my brain even has a chance to get online.

His eyes light up and my belly turns to mush.

Well fuck.

CHAPTER 13

JAX

Oakley. I can’t count the times the beautifully scarred woman has crossed my mind in the past several weeks. For all the space Angel takes up, the woman in front of me has occupied just as much and I don’t know why.

My brain tells me it’s because she’s broken—and I don’t mean her scars. No, never her scars. They call to me like the dying petals of a rose, they don’t diminish the beauty that was once there and is still there if you take the time to look within. I may not know why, but there’s no denying I want nothing more than to look within.

Of all the places to run into her, it was the snack aisle while she was pouting—fucking adorably—over Mickey Mouse Goldfish. She has an innocence about her, a natural beauty who appears shy but has a sassy side I can’t get enough of. I caught a glimpse of it when she started ranting about not needing anyone’s permission, and I can’t wait to see more of it.

We both finish our shopping and check out. Oakley triple checks her items as she loads them into her reusable shopping bags, making sure that “The Godforsaken colored fish” are in her bag. We load into my truck and head toward a small coffee shop not many people know about. It’s nestled behind a row of other stores, and when me and Maddox first found it one Saturday morning, he called it an oasis. And it really is.

As Hideaway—the coffee shop—comes into view, Oakley gasps and her eyes grow wide. A pang of pain clenches at my heart when I remember Maddox’s reaction to seeing Hideaway for the first time. Fuck. Not now. I tell myself over and over again to let go of the past, to let go of Maddox, but he’s still inside me. His laughter, his smiles, the touch of his hands. They’re all there buried deep where I can lock them away and keep them safe.

“It’s so beautiful.” Oakley says, still taking it in.

I nod in agreement and extend my hand, leading her to the bright red door that’s propped open with a brick that’s also been painted red.

Inside, there are six red tables, each surrounded by four mismatched chairs. On the walls, antique coffee grinders hang from old butcher’s hooks, and above the counter, a square of steel mesh is framed by old, dark timber and suspended from the ceiling by chains. Hanging from the mesh are assorted tea pots in different patterns and colors.

Oakley takes in the entire area and turns to me, still smiling. “Nothing in here matches… it’s perfect.”

“Jax, honey, how are you?” Belle, the barista, has been working at Hideaway since it opened its doors five years ago. She’s a crazy little old lady—in the best way—and a little loud, but she makes one hell of a coffee.

“I’m good, Belle, how are you?”

She nods as she flits around behind the counter. “Really good. So what’ll it be?”

I order our coffees and while I’m waiting at the counter, Oakley’s screech of… I’m not sure if it’s horror or delight, but it has me turning my head in her direction. When I see where she’s standing, I laugh.

“She found Bandit,” Belle says. “He makes all the girls scream.”

I pinch my nose between my thumb and finger. “Jesus Christ, Belle…”

“What?” She flicks her bright pink hair back over her shoulder and winks. “It’s the truth.”

Thankfully, Oakley’s voice allows me to avoid Belle for the moment. “JAX! Oh my God, there’s a lizard in here!” she calls from where Bandit’s tank is.

I give her a wink to let her know I’m on my way, and Belle laughs as she passes over the coffees that I carry to a table near the window.

“You like lizards,” I ask her.

She leans down to get a closer look at Bandit. “I do now. I’ve never seen one, I mean, not a live one like this.” She narrows her eyes.