Read Online Bite Me (Woodland Creek) by Woodland Creek, Mandy Rosko - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Woodland Creek, Mandy Rosko
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enough when they walked in, and the woman in charge seemed more than happy to list her services, as well as show off her collection of scented oils.
It was only a little awkward when she mistook them for a couple. Thankfully, Alice wasn’t the type of woman who was overly interested in a massage. They browsed the oils a little while longer just to be polite, but then quickly left.
“I don’t think I want to lie down on my front with my back exposed and not be able to see who’s coming through the door,” she said.
Jake could understand that perfectly. “I once dated a woman who convinced me to get a facial with her.”
“What?” Alice had that sparkly look in her eyes as she smiled.
“Don’t laugh. She said a lot of men do it,” Jake said.
“So that’s why you have such baby-soft skin beneath that scruffy beard.”
She hadn’t touched his face in years, so how could she know? Unless she was just basing that on what his skin looked like.
Mentioning that seemed like it would be giving away way too much, so he didn’t mention it at all.
“Anyway, I never got it done,” he said.
“What? Why not?”
Jake smirked. “Wanted the ammo to make fun of me with, did you?”
“Of course,” she replied, but her smile had melted away. “Was it because you would’ve had to shut your eyes?”
“Yeah,” Jake admitted, clenching his jaw.
“I watched them do her, and having hands touching my face and throat, and then having to close my eyes for fifteen or twenty minutes while they put that goop on and let it dry…” He shook his head, barely suppressing a shiver. “No way. There was no way I was letting anyone do that.”
He’d had a paranoid fear that any one of the women working there could’ve been hired and planted by any number of the drug dealers he’d helped put away, and that they were just waiting for him to lower his guard for a second so they could slit his throat.
It was ridiculous, and even back then, he knew it was a stupid thing to be thinking about. After all, how could they have known that his then girlfriend would spontaneously want him to have a facial with her?
But he couldn’t exactly help himself. He’d seen people die in weird enough ways to be suspicious of pretty much everyone.
“Are you still…with her now?”
“Who? Oh, no, that was a long time ago,” Jake said. “It wasn’t a bad breakup, but it was hard. I just couldn’t do anything with her. She was too spontaneous and adventurous, and I was closed off for the longest time.”
“Oh.”
“It’s not a sad ending, though. We’re still friends on social media, and last I heard, she was getting married to some guy who was going to travel around the world and see all the sights for free or something. Don’t know how he was going to do that, but he seemed to make her happy enough.”
At least, that was the impression Jake got when he looked at the pictures she’d sent.
What he wasn’t about to tell Alice was that part of the reason for the breakup was because his ex had known Jake was hung up on someone else. She’d been patient enough with his downer moods. He’d told her what he used to do for a living, and to be fair, she was more than tolerant with him. Probably more than he deserved, and they’d hung onto that relationship for longer than what was probably healthy.
She’d been able to see through his depression, his inability to see the good in most people, and in the world in general, but she hadn’t been able to overlook the fact that Jake had still been looking for Alice.
He glanced to the side, noting the tiny frown that was pulling down Alice’s brows.
“Does it bug you? That I still talk with my ex?”
“What?” She looked up at him quickly. “God, no, of course not. There’s nothing between us anyway, so it would be weird if I was jealous.”
She laughed at that, but it sounded forced.
And all of a sudden, Jake was having a hard time breathing. He felt like he needed to defend
It was only a little awkward when she mistook them for a couple. Thankfully, Alice wasn’t the type of woman who was overly interested in a massage. They browsed the oils a little while longer just to be polite, but then quickly left.
“I don’t think I want to lie down on my front with my back exposed and not be able to see who’s coming through the door,” she said.
Jake could understand that perfectly. “I once dated a woman who convinced me to get a facial with her.”
“What?” Alice had that sparkly look in her eyes as she smiled.
“Don’t laugh. She said a lot of men do it,” Jake said.
“So that’s why you have such baby-soft skin beneath that scruffy beard.”
She hadn’t touched his face in years, so how could she know? Unless she was just basing that on what his skin looked like.
Mentioning that seemed like it would be giving away way too much, so he didn’t mention it at all.
“Anyway, I never got it done,” he said.
“What? Why not?”
Jake smirked. “Wanted the ammo to make fun of me with, did you?”
“Of course,” she replied, but her smile had melted away. “Was it because you would’ve had to shut your eyes?”
“Yeah,” Jake admitted, clenching his jaw.
“I watched them do her, and having hands touching my face and throat, and then having to close my eyes for fifteen or twenty minutes while they put that goop on and let it dry…” He shook his head, barely suppressing a shiver. “No way. There was no way I was letting anyone do that.”
He’d had a paranoid fear that any one of the women working there could’ve been hired and planted by any number of the drug dealers he’d helped put away, and that they were just waiting for him to lower his guard for a second so they could slit his throat.
It was ridiculous, and even back then, he knew it was a stupid thing to be thinking about. After all, how could they have known that his then girlfriend would spontaneously want him to have a facial with her?
But he couldn’t exactly help himself. He’d seen people die in weird enough ways to be suspicious of pretty much everyone.
“Are you still…with her now?”
“Who? Oh, no, that was a long time ago,” Jake said. “It wasn’t a bad breakup, but it was hard. I just couldn’t do anything with her. She was too spontaneous and adventurous, and I was closed off for the longest time.”
“Oh.”
“It’s not a sad ending, though. We’re still friends on social media, and last I heard, she was getting married to some guy who was going to travel around the world and see all the sights for free or something. Don’t know how he was going to do that, but he seemed to make her happy enough.”
At least, that was the impression Jake got when he looked at the pictures she’d sent.
What he wasn’t about to tell Alice was that part of the reason for the breakup was because his ex had known Jake was hung up on someone else. She’d been patient enough with his downer moods. He’d told her what he used to do for a living, and to be fair, she was more than tolerant with him. Probably more than he deserved, and they’d hung onto that relationship for longer than what was probably healthy.
She’d been able to see through his depression, his inability to see the good in most people, and in the world in general, but she hadn’t been able to overlook the fact that Jake had still been looking for Alice.
He glanced to the side, noting the tiny frown that was pulling down Alice’s brows.
“Does it bug you? That I still talk with my ex?”
“What?” She looked up at him quickly. “God, no, of course not. There’s nothing between us anyway, so it would be weird if I was jealous.”
She laughed at that, but it sounded forced.
And all of a sudden, Jake was having a hard time breathing. He felt like he needed to defend
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