Read Online Forbidden, Tempted Series (Book 1) by Selene Charles - Free Book Online Page B

water out. Steam curled around his face.
    “After-school special. Just, Dad, I got it. Okay. Trust me. Now please, let’s just drop the subject.”
    “Fine. Adam wants me to start catching tonight.”
    “What?” She grabbed two plates out of the kitchen cabinet. “He does know that you have to have time to set up a rhythm with the fliers, right? It’s not as simple as that.” She snapped her fingers, setting the plates down on the table.
    “I’ve been practicing with the girls, Flint. They’re amazing.” Awe gathered in his words, a soft smile gracing his lips. “Nimble and—” He blinked as if remembering who he was talking to. “They’re good.” He cleared his throat, then dumped the pasta into the tomato-sauce-and-meat mixture.
    Her heart sank. He’d met someone. He didn’t say it, but he wouldn’t look at her. She’d seen his eyes sparkle like that before. “There’s a woman, isn’t there?”
    He closed his eyes, and that spoke louder than any words.
    It had been a year. Part of her felt like maybe it was time, but the selfish side—the irrational side—kept thinking... it’d only been a year. Surely he wasn’t ready to move on? She wasn’t.
    Flint knew they couldn’t hang on to the memory of Mom forever. She never would have wanted that for them, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.
    She’d been preparing for this day, but not now. Not yet.
    “I like her, Flinty. She’s really nice. But that’s all it is right now. We’re just friends.”
    Her smile was strained, but she kept it in place. “Water with dinner?”
    He nodded and served her a large spoonful of spaghetti.
    “Will you come watch my show tonight?” he asked as he scooped himself a massive plate of noodles.
    Abel wanted to go to the hole tonight. She didn’t know if it was a club or just a big hole in the ground. But there was no way she’d miss her dad’s debut. “Absolutely.”
    “Thanks.”
    They didn’t speak again after that and all Flint could think about was whether she’d get to meet the new woman.
    She wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
    ~*~
    S he hadn’t known what to wear, so deciding on something safe, Flint had pulled out a pair of distressed blue-jean shorts and a green-and-blue flower-print crop top. It made her hair really pop a deeper red.
    Growing up, she’d been embarrassed about her bright red hair, but as she’d aged, it’d turned less orange and more red. Her mom had always said that she’d give anything to be a natural redhead. Flint couldn’t understand it, especially coming from a blond bombshell, but it’d helped her feel better.
    Lights flickered. “Ladies and gentlemen.” A loudspeaker cut through her thoughts. “The show will begin shortly. Please find your seats.”
    This place was so different compared to any other circus they’d ever been to. For one, there were no kids in sight. No blaring elephants in the background, no silly clowns walking around and waving merrily to the guests.
    Sitting all the way in the back of the circular ring, she had an unimpeded view of the people around her. This place didn’t cater to the mainstream, that was for sure.
    Women were dressed in punk or Goth gear. Some of them were exotically beautiful, like the woman three rows down, dressed in sheer cream lace that edged up her throat. The formfitting gown looked like something straight out of the Victorian era. Antique, and yet sort of sexy because of how tall and slim the woman was. She had dark curls piled high on her head, exposing the long line of her swanlike neck, pale skin gleaming blue under the prop lights.
    The men were similarly eye-catching. Either they were totally sleeved up and dressed in a scruffy, cool style, ripped jeans and white tee... or they were in suits and ties.
    Some of them definitely looked human. Especially the ones wearing wide-eyed glances and staring around the way she was, but others (the ones dressed way too formal for this place) had an addictive, eerie