Read Online Then He Kissed Me: A Cottonbloom Novel by Laura Trentham - Free Book Online

juvenile.”
    Chuckling, he retreated to stand next to Cade, exchanging a glance with him. A sense of expectation set her on edge. Had they heard about the altercation at the Tavern last night?
    “Cade and I were brainstorming some ideas for the festival. What can we offer that the ’Sips can’t?” Sawyer chewed on his bottom lip and looked to the steel-beamed ceiling. She sagged on the stool, her shoulders rounding. They hadn’t heard about Heath. Or Nash, for that matter.
    “And, what did you come up with?” Relief made her sound more enthusiastic than she’d intended. No way had she planned to get pulled into WWIII.
    Cade gestured around them with both hands. “Your place.”
    Her gaze darted between her brothers. “They’ve got gyms too.”
    “Not like yours. Not one where legit fighters train,” Sawyer said.
    One of the reasons she’d hired Reed was because of his experience in MMA fighting. He’d moved up the ranks in the professional leagues until an injury had forced him out. Now her gym attracted boys and men who dreamed of being paid to fight and win. “What are you thinking?”
    Sawyer’s voice edged with excitement. “Monroe is going to ask a couple of the girls in her group if they want to demonstrate some self-defense techniques. You could maybe lead a kickboxing set. I talked to Reed and he’d be willing to put on an exhibition fight with one of his buddies. Nothing too crazy, but something to grab people’s attention and get them cheering.”
    “Reed!” She shot a glance toward her employee and friend. Maybe former friend.
    He jogged over with a sheepish expression. “I’m guessing they told you.”
    “Yep.” She crossed her arms.
    Reed rubbed a hand over cropped dark hair. The offspring of a half-white, half-Iranian mother and a black father, Reed laughingly called himself the ultimate minority. He reminded Tally of an exotic sheik in hiding. Hypnotic tawny eyes blazed against his darker skin.
    “You can’t tell me we wouldn’t attract a big crowd to watch. And, think of the promotion the gym would get,” he said.
    She huffed. It wasn’t a terrible idea. In fact, done right, it could be a win-win. An undertaking that big would require capital outlay for signage and advertising. She could offer a discount on the first three months of fees if they signed up during the festival. While her profits might initially take a hit, the upside potential was immense. A risk, but a calculated one. Excitement had her bouncing her leg as she chewed on the end of her thumbnail, numbers stampeding through her head.
    “My gut tells me it’s doable and maybe even a good idea. Let me confirm.” Sawyer fist-pumped like it was a done deal. She waved a finger at all three men. “The numbers have to support it. No promises.”
    Sawyer nodded and held his hands up, but there was a grin on his face. All three men retreated, and she attempted to focus on her columns of numbers, this time with the new proposal in mind. Instead, her traitorous mind wandered back to Nash and how it felt to wake up in his arms and how he filled out that pair of underwear.
    She grabbed a gym brochure off the counter and fanned herself. If he didn’t come by the gym as promised this week, she would bake him some cookies as a thank-you for helping her out with Heath. Geez, she was as bad as the church welcome committee. What if she couldn’t get her hormones under control around him and did something truly wild and reckless?

 
    Chapter Five
    Nash leaned against the counter of the small kitchen, eating a bowl of Fruity Pebbles and staring at the blank wall. How royally had he screwed that up? He’d never had a morning after that awkward, and this one hadn’t even involved sex. Although, if the night had involved sex, he might not have been tenting his underwear like some fourteen-year-old horndog.
    It was all her fault. She had looked so adorably sexy in his Superman T-shirt, her nipples poking at the S. Actually, he’d