Stand of Redemption by Cathryn Williams Read Free Book Online Page B

at a bar dressed like that, anyway? He had taken her for the more serious type. He was sure she could have found another type of job.
    He walked toward her as she straightened. She had turned to walk back to her chair and was licking the excess water from her lips when she saw him. He had to keep himself from getting visibly hard at the sight of her tongue.
    “Are you ready?” he asked more harshly than he’d intended.
    He saw her eyes widen at his tone then narrow.
    “Yes,” she replied just as harshly. “I told you I could get myself home. If you’re not ready to leave…”
    Nick had to keep himself from laughing out loud. She wasn’t one to put up with anyone’s shit. He liked that about her—in small doses.
    “Do you have everything?”
    “I don’t have anything. He knocked my phone out of my hand last night and I left everything else in the car.” Ria continued, “I can’t remember what happened to my key, though.”
    Ty was walking by at that moment. “Your key is at the front desk . Ask Linc.”
    Ty was a smart kid; he was quick to realize that Ria was off limits from now on. Nick had wanted to break his arms when he’d seen them around Ria. Then he had become angry at himself. Since when had he ever felt possessive about a woman?
    “Okay, let’s go,” Nick said to her, taking her arm as they walked to the front of the gym.
    “Hey, Linc, got the key?” Nick asked the man sitting at the front desk.
    “Sure thing.” Linc handed over the key and then turned to Ria. “Looks like you’re feeling better. Glad you’re up and about.”
    “Thank you,” Ria replied with a smile.
    Nick was looking down at her, thinking her smile was beautiful; it brightened her whole face. Right then, he wanted to see more of it.
    They walked outside where Nick led her to his car, opening the door for her to get in. As he slid into the driver’s seat, he couldn’t help noticing her long legs as she tugged that damn short skirt down. He was going to find a way to get her to leave the bar. He didn’t want her dressing like that unless she was with him.
    “Where’s your car?”
    “Do you know where Good Times is?”
    “What the hell are you doing there?” Nick was pissed, thinking about how sleazy that place was known to be.
    “It’s a job!” Ria snapped back.
    “I refuse to believe that’s the only job you could find. You went from an EMT to a waitress in that shithole?”
    “I needed something fast. I couldn’t afford to spend a lot of time on interviews. I need money to live. Not everyone has millions in the bank like you do!” Ria retorted.
    Nick watched her cross her arms and stare out the window. She was right; he hadn’t needed to worry about money for as long as he could remember. With prize money and all the endorsement deals, he had more money than he could have possibly imagined. He had to admit to himself that he didn’t know what it felt like to be tight for cash.
    “I can get you a better job than that,” Nick stated.
    “I take the paramedic test at the end of next week. I’ll quit as soon as I get a job,” Ria replied. “But it would be a big help if you called the administrator at the hospital. I probably won’t be able to get my job back, but at least I’ll have references.”
    Nick recalled her saying she was going to look for a job in another city. That wasn’t going to work for him. He had to get her out of his system first.
    “Are you going to apply for jobs in town?” Nick asked casually.
    “I will, but I doubt I’ll get any offers. There’s just not that many jobs available and they’ve already filled my position.” He could hear the frustration in her voice.
    “I was an ass that night, sorry. I’m not used to losing; I guess I was trying to get the attention of a beautiful woman to make up for it.”
    “You got my attention when you got me fired,” she stated while still staring out the wi ndow.
    “What?” He had no idea what she was talking about.
    She