Forbidden Harmony (Harmony Falls #3) - Elizabeth Kelly Page 0,43

before you come in when I’m with a client.”

“Sorry.” Nolan stared at Addison. “Sorry, Miss Moore.”

She smiled weakly at him and tucked her bra into her purse as Preacher handed her a plastic bag with some paper and a small bottle inside. “Cleaning instructions,” he said. “Follow the instructions exactly. If your nipple starts to look infected, come see me immediately.”

“Right, okay,” she said.

Nolan was eyeing her hair and, oh shit, did she have the I just had sex hair happening? Forcing herself not to pat it down, she made herself smile at Preacher.

“Thank you, Preacher.”

“You’re welcome.”

She hesitated a moment longer. She hadn’t paid him, and she needed her damn underwear back, but Preacher took her by the elbow and steered her past Nolan and out into the main part of the tattoo shop.

“I need my underwear,” she said under her breath. Nolan had followed them out and Preacher just gave her a cocky grin before opening the door and ushering her into the warm night air.

“Good night, Miss Moore.” His gaze dropped to her crotch. “Remember to keep it clean for me.”

Damn him. Why did he have to make everything sound so dirty and why did it have to turn her on?

“I will,” she whispered.

“That’s my good girl.” He grinned again at her. Suddenly feeling awkward and cheap, she turned and stumbled toward Daniel’s car. She was on the verge of tears and as she fumbled open the car door, she glanced up at Preacher.

The grin dropped from his face and he cocked his head at her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she said. “Good-bye.”

She slid behind the wheel and turned on the car as he started toward her. She threw it in reverse and stomped on the gas as he stopped on the sidewalk outside of the shop. Blinking back the hot tears, she drove away without a backward glance.

Chapter Twelve

You’re acting both pathetic and stalkerish, Addie. You’ll see him on Sunday at Kira’s place for God’s sake. Go home.

She hesitated just outside the Crimson Door Tattoo shop. Preacher’s shop was open until seven and she hadn’t deliberately shown up just before he closed… that was just how the bus schedule worked out.

Uh-huh, keep telling yourself that, little Miss Denial.

She continued to hesitate, studying the people milling about on Main Street. It might have been almost seven in the evening, but the street was still packed. Most of them were carrying melting ice cream cones from Licks Ice Cream Shop two blocks down.

All of them looked hot and sweaty and exhausted.

The last two times you had sex with Preacher, you felt weird and kind of cheap afterwards. You want to be with a guy who makes you feel like that?

No, but if she was honest with herself, it wasn’t Preacher who made her feel cheap, it was herself. She was judging herself in the exact same way Harrison would judge her and, dammit, she didn’t want to do that anymore. There was nothing wrong with a woman having casual sex with a man. Maybe if she kept having casual sex, it would help her get over her stupid inner judgement about it.

There’s also nothing wrong with being a woman who doesn’t want to have casual sex. Go home, Addie.

No, she wouldn’t. Her nipple piercing was maybe – possibly – looking infected and the responsible thing to do was to have Preacher take a quick look at it once he’d finished with his other clients and closed up the shop. Once he gave her the okay, she’d hop on the bus and head back home.

Oh yeah? So, you’re not hoping that Preacher will take one look at your tits and immediately fuck you again?

Of course, she wasn’t. She would pay him for the piercing, have him check it for infection and then leave.

You gonna ask for your panties back?

Nope, she absolutely was not. Looking Preacher in the eye and asking him to return her underwear was an impossible task. Besides, nothing sexual was going to happen between them. This was just her being cautious.

Bullsh-

She muzzled her inner voice and stepped aside as a larger man, his bald head gleaming in the sun, stepped out of the shop. His right arm was covered with a bandage from his wrist to his elbow. He held the door for her, and she nodded in thanks before stepping into the sweet coolness of the tattoo shop. A dark-haired man who was almost as large as Preacher was standing behind the counter and tucking a receipt into