Wrecked by Shiloh Walker Read Free Book Online Page A

about going to grab some wine or something.”
    Good idea
. Wait. “You can’t.” He turned around and headed back into the main area of the shop, found the consent forms he needed. Abby was behind him, although he hadn’t heard her. When he turned around, she was just a foot away and the scent of her went straight to his head and Zach had to wonder just what in the hell he’d done to get this kind of torture thrown into his life.
    “I can’t go get wine?” A smile curved her lips as she tipped her head to look up at him.
    “I can’t do the tattoo if you do—I won’t put one on anybody who has been drinking. Saves me trouble later on. And you need to read through the consent form and sign. Make it all nice and legal.”
    “Ahhh . . .” She took the paper and moved over to one of the seats, crossing her legs as she started to read. “I guess I should be totally clearheaded. Otherwise, I could end up having arms like yours.”
    “Nah. I might try to talk you into having
Forever Nate’s
tattooed on your ass, but that’s it.” He gave her a strained smile and turned around. Distance. Serious distance was needed here so he could get back on track.
    As he headed down the hall, she called out, “Yeah, sure. I’ll do that when you have a heart with
Kate
somewhere on
you
.”
    Once he was in his office, he rubbed the heel of his hand over his chest.
    What in the hell would she do if she knew he already
had
her written on his skin?
    Not Kate, of course.
    He hadn’t fallen in love with Kate.
    He loved Abby and always had.
    He’d loved her when she ran away from California all those years ago . . . and he’d waited until she stopped running, so he could follow.
    He’d loved her when she came to him and told him she was getting married . . . to a man who didn’t deserve her.
    And now she was laying out a plan to go and have a torrid affair. With who?
    Curling one hand into a fist, he crossed back to his desk.
    “Why in the hell not me?”

Chapter Four
    Wine would have been a good idea, Abby thought . Maybe he didn’t want her drinking
before
he got started, but after? Yeah, it would have helped.
    Stretched out on her belly, she closed her eyes and tried to think about
anything
but the pain.
    “You okay?”
    Zach’s hands on her weren’t helping her zone out, she decided. It was one hell of a distraction, but it
wasn’t
helping her zone out.
    Swallowing the knot in her throat, she croaked out, “I’m as good as I think I can expect to be.”
    “And how good is that?”
    “Lousy.”
    He laughed a little. “Why don’t you talk to me? We’re halfway done,” he said. “If you talk, you’ll get distracted and it will be done before you know it.”
    “Okay.” She scrunched her eyes tightly closed and tried to think of something to say. Her mind was blank. “I don’t know what to talk about.”
    “You always have something to talk about,” he teased, his voice low and easy, and she knew even without looking at him that he was smiling.
    “Not right now I don’t.” Well, she
could
think of a thing or two. But those weren’t really things she could say. Were they? No. She’d thought this through. She wasn’t going down that road with Zach.
    “Okay. I’ll help. What is this new life plan you’ve got laid out? Besides the tattoo?”
    I plan on flipping my life upside down.
    She bit her lip to keep from blurting that out. That would make him worry. She loved him dearly and she didn’t need him worrying about her right now. “It’s not a
life
plan exactly. It’s just a
for now
plan,” she said slowly. “Some things to keep me distracted until I figure out what I’m going to do with myself. There’s the tattoo thing, which you’re obviously helping with. I’m going to try to stop worrying so much. One of them, though . . . I plan on calling up Roger and telling him off.”
    He grunted. “Good plan.” Something soft brushed against her lower back and she hissed a