Finally Satisfied by Tori Scott Read Free Book Online Page A

hazing had been
outlawed. That was so mean of them.” Angel propped her chin on her
hand and watched him chew the bread, her gaze following the long
line of his throat as he swallowed. Who knew a throat could be
sexy?
    “Nah,” he said. “They were just having fun. I
got most of them back at one time or another. So how about you? How
did you end up doing photography?”
    As many times as she’d steered the
conversation away from herself, he’d steered it right back. “I kind
of fell into by accident. Mom was desperate to find a way to get me
out of the house after everything happened. I was depressed and
barely got dressed, much less outside. She found her father’s old
35mm and gave it to me, along with a couple of rolls of film. I let
it sit on my dresser for a few weeks, until one day we had a freak
snowstorm. Everything was so beautiful outside I couldn’t resist
snapping some shots from my bedroom window. Then I saw a cardinal,
brilliant red against the snow, and I took the camera outside for a
better shot. The picture turned out so good I had it enlarged and
framed and gave it to mom for Christmas. From that moment on, I was
hooked.”
    “How did you go from that to taking
professional photos?”
    “Classes at the community college, a stint as
a school photographer, then I snared an intern job at a studio. The
photographer was wonderful and he taught me so much. As soon as he
thought I was ready, he gave me some business pointers and tossed
me out of the nest. I’ve been doing it ever since.” She snagged the
last piece of bread and scooped up the last of the oil. “Now, it’s
your turn again. What made you choose medicine?”
    He thought for a moment. “You.”
    She leaned back against the seat. “Me?
Why?”
    “I wanted to help you and I couldn’t. You
wouldn’t let me. So I decided to help other people until I could
win you over.”
    The waitress stopped by their table to refill
their drinks and leave the check. When she left, Mitch pulled out a
credit card and slipped it into the leather holder.
    “That’s the simple answer. The longer answer
is that I’ve always wanted to fix things, especially people. It
probably came from wanting to fix my family and knowing I couldn’t.
They didn’t want to be fixed. Mom and Dad had a barely civil
marriage where they stayed together for the kids. Truth is, we’d
have all been better off if they’d just split and saved us the
drama.”
    “God, how I envied Gray his family. I spent
as much time at his house as I could. Even now, I go there for
Thanksgiving and Christmas, instead of home.”
    “That’s so sad. I don’t know what I’d do if I
couldn’t be home for Christmas.”
    Mitch shrugged. “I stop by for breakfast,
hand out the presents, spend a few minutes with my nieces and
nephews, and then I leave before the fighting starts. Works for
me.”
    He signed the receipt left by the waitress,
drained the last of his iced tea, and picked up his jacket. “Are
you ready?” he asked.
    Now that was a loaded
question .
    ***
    Mitch wasn’t ready for the evening to end. In
spite of his earlier determination to leave Angel alone, he enjoyed
her company now that she didn’t bite his head off at every turn, or
run at the first sight of him. He didn’t know if she actually liked
him yet, but at least she seemed to tolerate him.
    He drove slowly back to the park, trying to
think of a way to keep her with him for a while longer. As they
passed a toy store decorated for Christmas, he had an idea. “Hey,
do you have anything planned for tonight?”
    “Not really. What did you have in mind?”
    “I haven’t bought Christmas presents yet.
Want to help me pick out stuff for the kids?”
    She was quiet for so long, he wondered if
he’d really messed up. He hadn’t thought it out. Christmas was
probably really hard for her. And buying presents for kids? What
had he been thinking?”
    Angel took a deep breath, and then another.
He could almost see her