Happily Never After by Bess George Read Free Book Online Page B

up suits and bun.”
    Was that a giggle? When have I ever giggled like a school girl?
    “How did you end up as an attorney?” Bode asked.
    “It began with Ann, I guess. David started hanging with a bad crowd, and she grabbed him by the ear one day and dragged him into her office. I was already there cleaning the wastebaskets out, one of his chores, by the way, when they came in. This little five-foot woman got up in this six-foot teen’s space. Throw your life away if you want, but what’s going to become of her? Is this the kind of life you want for her?”
    The enormity of that conversation still rattled her. Mere words with the power to change people’s destinies. David met her eyes that day, and an already strong bond became forged in steel. They’d never talked about it since.
    “From that day on, he got a job and worked his tail off to save enough money for college. When he aged out of the system at eighteen, he applied to a local school. He refused to leave me behind.” Her voice trembled on those last words, so she coughed to cover her discomfort.
    He must have understood she needed a moment to compose herself because he changed the subject. Regaling her with tales of fast motorcycles, mountaineering, and water escapades, she gasped at their outrageousness. This man thrived on excitement.
    She entertained him with some of David’s antics he’d performed as a teen. The stories about the two men made her feel as plain as good old vanilla. Their food arrived and they both tucked right into sizzling fajitas.
    Bode took a long swallow of his drink. “Were you and David ever an item growing up?”
    Her face twisted into a comical expression. “Yuck! That’s disgusting.”
    His lips broke out into a devilish grin that caused her to have a spine-tingling response. After the waitress had left the check, he stood and held his hand down to her. She peered up at him in confusion.
    “Come on, Princess, I know you’re some big basketball hotshot, but the real question is, are you any good at pool?”
    “Pool?” she managed to squeak out.
    “Pool. I’ll show you.” He hauled her out of the booth to her feet. She picked up her drink while he dropped money on the table for their meal and steered her toward the bar.
    They entered the back, and Bode went straight to an empty pool table. She waited to the side while he slid coins into the slots and proceeded to rack the balls. He strolled over to the wall mount that held the cue sticks and found two he liked.
    She eyed him with suspicion. “If you think I’m betting with you, think again. I don’t know the first thing about this game.”
    He handed her a stick. “Don’t worry. I’ll teach you all you need to know. Here, put your drink down and I’ll help you get started.”
    Questioning her sanity, she followed his instructions. Her cheeks heated when he reached his muscled arms around her. His big hands covered hers, and when he leaned over her, his body pressed against her back.
    “You place one hand down to use as a brace and then rest the stick on your thumb as you line up your shot. Once you’re lined up the way you want, just pull back this arm holding the cue and let it go.” His warm breath tickled her ear as he showed her what to do.
    She tilted her head to peer up at him. “Does this routine usually work when you’re out chasing women?”
    “Most times. There you go. A smooth stroke. Now, you try.” He rewarded her with a sexy grin that made her knees go a little squishy.
    She concentrated on the directions he gave and squealed when she connected to send the ball into the pocket. They continued, and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had this much fun. Quite a few of her balls went in, but she suspected Bode held back. On the third game, a two out of three series, he came up behind her.
    “Okay, this is it,” he drawled. “Let’s make this interesting. We’ve played basketball and now pool. We’ll say the winner gets to choose