Turn The Page (Kissed by A Muse Book 2) by S.K Munt Read Free Book Online Page B

to strange women? And what kind of busker didn’t have a close personal relationship with a pawnbroker? Her gaze drifted between him, the iPad and her open door. Had she left it open? Damn the Yankee multiple door latch thing! ‘That’s worth about eight hundred bucks, you know.’
    ‘It is?’ He strained his wrists into his pockets and shrugged, while Leigh wracked her brain, trying to recall if Ryan the character had worn a pewter ring- while her eyes kept flickering over to the iPad box.
    ‘Wow. Well, you’ll be able to keep your room, and I’ll be able to sleep tonight, so it’s money well spent.’ He leaned towards her, burrowing his hands deeper into his pockets and hunching his shoulders, trying to get in her line of vision- or maybe just shrink in general because she was making him feel like Gulliver. The silver chain around his neck swung forward and caught the light. ‘So… are we good?’
    Leigh had no idea what sort of state she was in, but she was hovering somewhere between gleeful and horrified. Why were people always giving her hand-outs that she hadn’t earned? And why was it an iPad she had to turn down, not a cocktail or something? She bundled up more of her blanket in her arms and studied him reproachfully. ‘I can’t accept that, no way!’ She shook her head. ‘It’s too valuable.’
    ‘Not to me, it’s not, and it is to you- so it’s technically a perfect trade.’ He stood taller again, a trace of annoyance pulling down on his eyes and mouth. ‘I didn’t want to get rid of it, because the woman who gave it to me really, really wanted me to have it… but giving it to someone who is eyeing it, the way you are eyeing it right now, feels good. You said that you needed it for work or something, didn’t you? Then accept it, not as a favour, but as a professional or whatever.’
    Leigh hadn’t known that she was still staring at the box, but his words called her attention to the fact that she’d been reading the specs and breathing heavily with excitement. His iPad had almost twice as much gig as her last! And it was the latest model she’d intended to buy! She wanted to accept it- and badly!
    No, uh-huh lady no candy from strangers, means no candy from strangers you’re contemplating nibbling on like candy!
    Heartsick, Leigh turned her face to him and tried to look bored. ‘No- really, I wouldn’t feel comfortable with this. I appreciate what you’re trying to do but-’
    ‘Look-’ He ran his hands through his hair and Leigh’s eyes followed the swirling, tattoo lines inked onto his wrist before it vanished into his sexily messed-up hair, holding the back of his head as though she were stressing him out. ‘-Leigh, is it?’
    Leigh nodded mutely, annoyed that he knew so much about her now, while she was still trying to deduce if he was corporeal or a figment of her imagination- though the glimpse of the tattoo had definitely activated her rational brain cells a little more.
    Ryan didn’t have a tattoo! Ha! There’s something, Leigh! Grab that anchor point and cling to reality woman!
    ‘I don’t know where we’ve met before,’ he began, removing his hands from his hair and biting down on his thumbnail, looking vulnerable and… well, like someone she wanted to be bitten by. ‘But I can see from your passport that this is your first time overseas. So I’m guessing that our paths crossed in Australia last, yeah?’
    Leigh’s mouth popped open. ‘Our paths?’
    ‘Yeah. You know…’ The guy twisted his thumb over, biting down on the enamel of his nail. ‘When we…’
    ‘When we WHAT?’ Leigh demanded, alarmed.
    ‘When we hooked up...’ he winced as a full stop, pulled his hand from his mouth and pressed his fingers into his eyebrow, looking perplexed before adding: ‘Sorry…’
    ‘Oh my god!’ Leigh was appalled to the point of wanting to break the iPad over his head. ‘You think we had sex?! That’s what you’ve come to apologize for?’
    ‘Um, yeah?’