Exploding: A Mafia Romance (The O'Keefe Family Collection #1) by Tuesday Embers Read Free Book Online Page B

“I don’t think I’ve heard anyone say ‘Jiminy Cricket’ who wasn’t ninety. It’s eight o’clock.” He took in her puffy eyes and slumped posture. “When was the last time you got a solid night’s sleep?”
    Fallyn sorted the papers into a useable stack. “Oh, I shouldn’t have fallen asleep! I have so much work to do. There’s a line! How did I sleep through that?” She was shocked to find not only daylight, but also a line out the door.
    James kept his hand on her back as she stood. “Don’t you think you should go home and get some real sleep? I mean, if you’re passing out in a chair, chances are you need more than an hour or two.”
    Fallyn’s voice was high-pitched and pinched with strain. “No! I can’t go home because there’s work to do. If I’m not here, it won’t all get done. I can’t fail, James. I just can’t!” An emotional swing hit her that normally would’ve been easy to suppress had she not been so sleep-deprived.
    At the sight of Fallyn’s eyes watering, alarms started going off in James’ head. He hadn’t been near a crying woman except for the few he’d had to fire at work. He kept things the lightest, breeziest brand of casual to avoid situations exactly like this. The second the solitary tear rolled down Fallyn’s cheek, James’s wall started to crumble. He awkwardly pulled her into his arms and held her to stave off any more tears from joining the one that had escaped. It was the second hug he’d indulged in in as many days, and both times they had been with her. He could feel his hard insides softening, and wasn’t sure what to make of that.
    As soon as his shoulder was deemed strong enough to carry her burdens, she let out a labored sigh. “I have to get out of here. I can’t be seen falling apart l-like this,” she whispered.
    She was about to pull away and drive home, but James kept one arm around her, picking up the resumes and starting off down the street away from the bakery. “My office is just a short walk this way. You can take a breather there. I’ve got a couch you can even take a nap on.”
    “What? No, I couldn’t do that to you. I… I should go home. Where did I park?” She fished in her purse for her keys, but lost her grip on the short strap and dropped the whole thing. “Doggonit!” she cried, invoking her non-curse word of choice. “I stink at everything today!”
    James knelt down with her to scoop the contents of her purse back inside, noting that she did not carry condoms or anything else that might imply she would be up for coming home with him. It was the pang of a missed opportunity that surprised him the most. He knew he didn’t need to be wasting his time trying to take home a girl who was clearly not up for the distraction. His eyes widened when they glossed over her fingers that quickly scooped up a small gun. “Um, is that…”
    “I have my CPL,” she pushed out, chagrinned.
    “Hey, it’s your purse.” He couldn’t decide if the gun was a turn-on or a blaring red flag. “And you don’t stink at everything. It’s a new business. It’s supposed to feel like this. Come on.”
    “I need some coffee. Then I can get back to it.”
    James stood, steadying her by letting her lean on his arm as he carried her purse and the resumes for her. “You don’t need coffee. Coffee can only be expected to do so much.” He had never carried a woman’s purse before, and cringed at the pinkness of the bag. He didn’t know how he’d volunteered for the position of the man who carried a woman’s purse around. He wasn’t sleeping with her, yet he volunteered his office for her use and treated her slight, yet curvy body with care he normally skimped on. As he led her to the elevator inside his law office, he realized he was completely had by this woman. “Right down this hallway.”
    “Mr. Jensen?” The redheaded assistant stood, confused at the new client she did not have in her appointment book. “I’m so sorry. I