Pure Wicked: A Wicked Lovers Novella (1001 Dark Nights) by Shayla Black Read Free Book Online

roared and purred, seeing him handle it with an enticing male grace and agility, totally revved her desire. She’d always dated seemingly good guys…who never turned out to be quite as good as she’d believed. Jamie was all bad boy.
    Bristol couldn’t wait.
    A few miles shy of Lewisville, her phone rang. Jayla’s contact appeared, and she answered the call right away. “Hey!”
    “I tried to save you, but your mama wouldn’t listen.”
    “Save me?” Her stomach tightened with worry. “Uh oh. What does that mean?”
    “She wants you to come to dinner on Tuesday night—and to bring Jamie.”
    “No. Absolutely not. He’s my Saturday night fling.”
    “Well, your mama thinks he’s your new man.”
    “And whose fault is that?” Bristol groused. “So he and I will have to break up before then.”
    Jayla got quiet. That was never a good sign.
    “Spit it out. What’s the issue?”
    “Your mama invited half of Lewisville, and the townsfolk are starting to think that you’re not interested in hanging onto a man.”
    Bristol gripped the steering wheel. “I’m not—not anymore.”
    “But you know how they think. You’re either a good girl looking to get married or a ho-bag who doesn’t deserve their business.”
    Shock pinged through Bristol. “Seriously?” Then she thought it through and cursed. “Never mind. I know it’s true. So basically, I have to look ready to pair up with Jamie until death do us part before he dumps me horribly—much later—so I can win their sympathy or else no one will buy another mushroom omelet or peach cobbler from me, right?”
    “That’s pretty much how it is.”
    This debacle would probably be crazy to anyone who didn’t live in a tiny town. But here, where everyone knew everybody and their business, Jayla’s reminder was irrefutable.
    “Damn it.” Bristol shook her head. “I’ll deal with it. Thanks for the warning.”
    “Thanks for not shooting the messenger.”
    Jayla rang off, and Bristol tried to decide exactly how to plead or bribe Jamie into coming to dinner on Tuesday night. Since it sounded as if he was between jobs, hopefully it wouldn’t be a problem. Normally, that would bother her since she preferred to date guys who were gainfully employed. But she wasn’t planning a long-term relationship with Jamie, just sex.
    She glanced in the rearview mirror. He still sat about twenty feet off her back bumper as they headed east on Highway 82. Maybe she could sweet talk the man or feed him incredible desserts to make him stay through Tuesday. Or tie him to her bed. That had appeal. Though she’d like it better if he tied her down.
    And if the townsfolk found out she fantasized about that, they’d absolutely die.
    Still, she imagined what she and Jamie might do together, her autopilot keeping her compact on the highway. When she looked up again, they were cruising into Lewisville. Along the town’s main drag, on the corner, she saw her shop and pulled into the parking lot behind the building as the sun dipped toward the horizon. Lewisville looked its best this time of day. Even then, it still appeared older, sometimes a bit neglected. Most children raised here left the moment they could. Bristol wondered why she’d stayed. Concern for her mother and sister? Memories of Daddy? Or being too afraid to leave everything she’d ever known?
    Shaking off the thought, she stepped out of her car, purse on her shoulder, as Jamie climbed off his bike.
    “Cute little town,” he said.
    “Small.”
    “Quaint,” he corrected.
    “That’s a nice way of putting it.” She gestured to her place. “Want the tour?”
    “Sure.”
    She let them both in the back door. She mostly kept supplies here, along with a small office in the corner. Flipping on lights, she led him into her kitchen, which sparkled—just as it did every day after the close of business. Her industrial oven and mixer gleamed. Pristine stainless countertops covered the length of two walls, waiting for