Skin Deep by J.M. Stone Read Free Book Online Page B

off in my ear and
stood there in shock , the receiver still pressed to my cheek.
    After a minute, I replaced the phone on the
hook, gathered up my purse and my keys, and locked up the office.
Heading out to my car, I dialed Allie’s number on my cell. She
didn’t answer, so I left her a message, demanding that she call me
immediately. I figured she was closing up the store or she would
have answered. She’s manic about answering her phone, always
telling me that if she didn’t, she could miss the “party of a
lifetime” call that would keep her in enough Nipple Dip, Jack
Rabbits, and Turtle Tools (Oh, my!) to last a lifetime.
    See, Allie’s a pretty free spirit. She owns a
thrift store at the edge of town in a quaint little shopping
center, called Twice as Nice. She does pretty well there, but
supplements her income (supports her addiction, however you want to
call it) by doing Down & Dirty parties. She ropes me into
helping her sometimes with them and delights in presenting me with
a new BOB every Christmas. For those of you who aren’t as unlucky
as me in the bedroom department, BOB is my battery operated
boyfriend. Honestly, it’s a pretty good relationship. I don’t have
to fight him for the remote, he doesn’t hog the covers, and I get
mine every time!
    I pulled into my driveway a few minutes later
and headed inside. Allie hadn’t called me back yet, but she was
supposed to be here in about a half hour anyway, so I really didn’t
think much of it. I was dying to talk to her about Luke,
though.
    I headed back to my bedroom after dropping my
keys and purse on the sideboard by the front door. I stripped out
of my work clothes, pulling on my favorite red fleece pants covered
with penguins and snowflakes, soft, thick black socks, an old tank
top, and one of my brother’s old hoodies that he’d left behind one
night. It was black with the letters F.B.I. spelled out in huge
white block letters. It was so big on me that the sleeves hung way
past the tips of my fingers, and the bottom of it reached the
middle of my thighs. Across the back was written Female Body
Inspector. Eh. Who cares?
    I pulled my hair up into a messy knot on the
very top of my head and washed my makeup off before heading into
the kitchen to start dragging out the makings for English muffin
pizzas, me and Allie’s favorite childhood meal. I also pulled out
the ingredients for Dried Beef Dip, bags of chips, stuff to make
s’mores, and checked to make sure I had everything for our “Special
Sundaes” which consisted of strawberry frozen yogurt (or ice cream)
with strawberry daiquiri wine cooler poured over it. Delish!
    I heard the doorbell and took off to open the
door, wondering why Allie didn’t just use her key. When I opened
the door, I froze, completely thrown off by Luke standing on my
doorstep.
    “Luke.” My voice cracked a little, whether in
shock, confusion, anger, or lust, I wasn’t sure.
    “Hey, sugar.” He let his gaze roam up and
down my body, taking in my disheveled appearance. “So, we staying
in tonight?”
    I cleared my throat. “Um, Luke, I told you I
have plans with Allie tonight.”
    “No you don’t. I told you I was calling her.
She understands completely, by the way. She did ask me to tell you
to call her immediately after we finally get down and dirty?” His
voice raised questioningly at the end and he quirked his brow at
me.
    I sighed, muttering under my breath, “Thanks
for selling me out, Allie. Bitch.”
    I moved to the side, waving him in. He
stepped through the door, waiting for me to shut it behind him. I
turned to look at him, cocking my head to the side because I
honestly just couldn’t get a handle on him. What were we doing,
here?
    Luke shot me a quick grin before taking a
step toward me. Instinctively, I took a step back. He continued
stalking me, and I kept stepping back until my back hit the door
behind me, my hand gripping the frame in desperation. He kept
coming, pressing his body against mine