Read Online He's A Magic Man (The Children of Merlin) by Susan Squires - Free Book Online
Authors: Susan Squires
Ads: Link
this second terrible mistake, and get some control in her life. “You got a car? I’m heading back to Miami but I can drop you.”
“At the bar.”
“We are not going back there. You live on your boat?” That would involve driving past the bar, so she hoped the answer was no.
He shook his head, easing back against the seat. The muscles in his chest and shoulders were pretty impressive. Abs? She could count them if she wanted to. Which she didn’t. How in the world did an alcoholic boat guy get an eight-pack?
“Okay, where do you live then?”
“Sugarloaf Key.” His eyes closed.
She remembered the signs. “Good. That’s on my way. You can give me directions.”
“Deal.” But he didn’t look like he was going to get coherent anytime soon.
She put the car in gear and eased out into the highway. Time for some air. She rolled up the window and cranked up the air conditioning. Cool air fanned her face as she worked her way up Highway 1. She began to breathe a little easier. But that left her strangely empty. What was she going to do now? Slink back to the Ritz for some spa treatment with Jane? Maybe it was just the adrenaline letdown. But her future in LA seemed meaningless right now.
*****
Who was this girl? And what the hell had she been doing in a place like O’Toole’s? He tried to gather his thoughts. The adrenaline had taken the edge off his drunk. More’s the pity. Now his jaw hurt and his ribs hurt and his bad knee, not to mention his belly. Those guys wouldn’t have been able to touch him if he was sober.
He should never have gotten involved. He was doing fine. Drowning the fact that it was Alice’s birthday. Why had he gotten involved? Because if Alice had been here, she’d have wanted you to help this girl.
The pain that hit him had nothing to do with the beating he’d just taken. Don’t think about her. He rolled his head. Need a drink. Right now.
But there wasn’t any drink coming until he got back to his shack. And this girl was the quickest way there. He rolled his head back and saw her glance in the rearview mirror at him. Her eyes were a cool gray. Gray sounded plain, dead. But they weren’t. Alive looking, maybe. The thought made him uncomfortable. Yeah. Alice’s eyes had been alive like that. Only they had been cornflower blue.
He took the punch of pain he always got when he thought of Alice. Take it like a man, he heard his father say. Only he wasn’t really a man anymore. A ghost, a shadow, a fog of alcohol, maybe, but not a man. His father had been right all along.
“There’s an exit for Sugarloaf Boulevard,” she said, glancing again in the rearview mirror. She looked a little wary.
“Take it,” he croaked. Her neck was slender, elegant. Yeah. Elegant. That’s how she’d looked walking in through that door with the light behind her. An elegant creature of the light.
The pulse to his groin was shocking. He actually looked down to be sure. Shit. He was getting a hard-on. He hadn’t had an erection in....
The punch of pain wasn’t unexpected this time. He really needed a drink.
*****
“What address am I looking for?” Drew asked her backseat passenger.
She heard a half-grunt. “No address. Keep going.”
The big, beautiful houses disappeared behind them. She should have known he didn’t live in one of those. Now it was mostly sand and low brush, some algae-clotted ponds. She kept going. The road was called County Road 939 now. The brush turned into trees. The landscape started looking even more tropical and jungly . The road ended at Old State Road 4a. Not much of a road. Hardly even two lanes and it only went one way. To the left a gate led to a hiking trail.
“I take it we go right?”
“Yeah,” he grunted. Not a talkative guy. Or maybe he was still too drunk.
The road wound through trees and sloughs. The forest was dense. There were a couple of gates that might lead to invisible houses. They passed a little beach with a lone
“At the bar.”
“We are not going back there. You live on your boat?” That would involve driving past the bar, so she hoped the answer was no.
He shook his head, easing back against the seat. The muscles in his chest and shoulders were pretty impressive. Abs? She could count them if she wanted to. Which she didn’t. How in the world did an alcoholic boat guy get an eight-pack?
“Okay, where do you live then?”
“Sugarloaf Key.” His eyes closed.
She remembered the signs. “Good. That’s on my way. You can give me directions.”
“Deal.” But he didn’t look like he was going to get coherent anytime soon.
She put the car in gear and eased out into the highway. Time for some air. She rolled up the window and cranked up the air conditioning. Cool air fanned her face as she worked her way up Highway 1. She began to breathe a little easier. But that left her strangely empty. What was she going to do now? Slink back to the Ritz for some spa treatment with Jane? Maybe it was just the adrenaline letdown. But her future in LA seemed meaningless right now.
*****
Who was this girl? And what the hell had she been doing in a place like O’Toole’s? He tried to gather his thoughts. The adrenaline had taken the edge off his drunk. More’s the pity. Now his jaw hurt and his ribs hurt and his bad knee, not to mention his belly. Those guys wouldn’t have been able to touch him if he was sober.
He should never have gotten involved. He was doing fine. Drowning the fact that it was Alice’s birthday. Why had he gotten involved? Because if Alice had been here, she’d have wanted you to help this girl.
The pain that hit him had nothing to do with the beating he’d just taken. Don’t think about her. He rolled his head. Need a drink. Right now.
But there wasn’t any drink coming until he got back to his shack. And this girl was the quickest way there. He rolled his head back and saw her glance in the rearview mirror at him. Her eyes were a cool gray. Gray sounded plain, dead. But they weren’t. Alive looking, maybe. The thought made him uncomfortable. Yeah. Alice’s eyes had been alive like that. Only they had been cornflower blue.
He took the punch of pain he always got when he thought of Alice. Take it like a man, he heard his father say. Only he wasn’t really a man anymore. A ghost, a shadow, a fog of alcohol, maybe, but not a man. His father had been right all along.
“There’s an exit for Sugarloaf Boulevard,” she said, glancing again in the rearview mirror. She looked a little wary.
“Take it,” he croaked. Her neck was slender, elegant. Yeah. Elegant. That’s how she’d looked walking in through that door with the light behind her. An elegant creature of the light.
The pulse to his groin was shocking. He actually looked down to be sure. Shit. He was getting a hard-on. He hadn’t had an erection in....
The punch of pain wasn’t unexpected this time. He really needed a drink.
*****
“What address am I looking for?” Drew asked her backseat passenger.
She heard a half-grunt. “No address. Keep going.”
The big, beautiful houses disappeared behind them. She should have known he didn’t live in one of those. Now it was mostly sand and low brush, some algae-clotted ponds. She kept going. The road was called County Road 939 now. The brush turned into trees. The landscape started looking even more tropical and jungly . The road ended at Old State Road 4a. Not much of a road. Hardly even two lanes and it only went one way. To the left a gate led to a hiking trail.
“I take it we go right?”
“Yeah,” he grunted. Not a talkative guy. Or maybe he was still too drunk.
The road wound through trees and sloughs. The forest was dense. There were a couple of gates that might lead to invisible houses. They passed a little beach with a lone
Similar Books
