Opposites Attract by Michelle M. Pillow Read Free Book Online

his chest, his head thrown back as the light breeze tried to whip his spiky red-tipped hair. His T-shirt moulded his torso, blowing up slightly at the stomach. What in the world possessed a man to get that many tattoos on him? She didn’t understand it at all. It wasn’t as if he was ugly to begin with. Sure, a little band of barbed wire if you were going for the rebel look or that black tribal stuff, but a whole arm? Two arms full of bright colours? And who knew what else.
    Her eyes dipped over his stomach and thighs. OK, why was she suddenly curious to actually see what else for herself? Telling herself to say something nice to him, she said, ‘You’d look better without the red goatee.’
    Ethan tilted his head down, looking over the top edge of his sunglasses. Slowly, he pulled them off his face. Blue, his eyes were blue with just a hint of green. She was surprised to find they were very pretty. Slowly, he looked her over and she felt her body heating at the way in which he seemed to take in her every curve. Breathless, she waited for him to speak. ‘You’d look better if your body could actually fill out that dress.’
    Alexis gasped, too stunned to retort. She didn’t move as he slipped his glasses back on and walked around the car to get in.
    ‘Let’s go,’ Susan said. Ted opened the door for her. ‘I’m ready to roll.’
    Alexis opened her own door, sliding into the passenger seat. Without looking at Ethan, she lifted her chin and said, ‘I need you to stop somewhere.’
    He turned to her. ‘We are stopped somewhere.’
    ‘This place won’t work,’ Alexis insisted. ‘I need you to stop some place else.’
    ‘For what?’ He was gritting his teeth now. She could actually see it.
    ‘I need to use the restroom, if you must know.’ Alexis pressed her lips tightly together and gripped her little handbag.
    ‘Didn’t you use the bathroom inside?’ Susan asked.
    ‘No, ew!’ Alexis turned around in her seat. ‘Did you see that place? Gross.’
    ‘It’s a bathroom,’ Ethan said, his voice rising in exasperation.
    ‘It’s a gross restroom and I have to go. Just pull over some place else,’ Alexis said.
    ‘Listen, doll, I am not stopping every five miles so you can inspect bathrooms to see if they’re good enough to pee in. Either you get out of this car and go to the bathroom right now, or the only place I’m pulling over will be the side of the busy interstate where everyone can see you. Your choice.’ Ethan motioned his hand towards the gas station. ‘Decide fast.’
    ‘Oh!’ Alexis gnashed her teeth and got out of the car, storming back inside. The man was really too much.
    Ethan watched Alexis leave for the bathroom before taking a deep breath. All day it had been something with her. The music wasn’t right. The car was too hot. The car was too cold. The roads were too bumpy. He drove too slow, too fast, too straight. The bathrooms were too icky for her delicate, pampered bottom. Turning to Susan and Ted, he asked, ‘Is she for real?’
    Ted couldn’t meet his eyes. He turned to gaze out the window.
    ‘She spent nearly a half-hour in that bathroom and she didn’t even use it?’ Ethan continued. ‘Is she doing this because I tried to kick her out of the car? Because I really can’t think of anything else.’
    Ted chuckled. ‘My guess? It’s because you made a comment about her ass being scrawny.’
    Susan looked embarrassed. ‘I’m sorry, Ethan. She’s going through a hard time right now in her personal life. I’ve never seen her act this horribly before. She’s just under a lot of stress.’
    ‘You always do that,’ Ted said softly. He sighed, shaking his head. ‘You don’t have to make excuses for her. Her attitude today has been horrible. I’m embarrassed we even invited her at this point. This trip was supposed to be a fun adventure. She’s done everything she could think of to make sure we’re all as miserable as she is.’
    ‘I know,’ Susan said, her voice