Read Online Throwaway by Heather Huffman - Free Book Online Page A

in trouble back on Cherokee, it was nice to see him. And
strangely not a surprise that he knew Gabe.
    In his soccer jersey and newsboy cap, the
burly man fit right in the little Irish pub. By his friendly and
unassuming nature, one might not realize how fascinating a story
his was. He’d opened for Bon Jovi and Tom Petty back in the day and
now seemed quite content to chat amicably with the prostitute and
the police officer while waiting for the Cards game to end so his
set could begin.
    At O’Malley’s, his sound was very Irish folk.
Here, it was something altogether different. With a wink at Jessie,
he began his set with a cover of Dire Straits’ Romeo and Juliet.
Jessie rolled her eyes and Gabe grinned smugly at her as Dan
painted a picture she wasn’t sure she was comfortable with.
    Was Gabe just another one of her deals? What
would happen when the novelty of being treated like a person wore
off? And what if it didn’t wear off before Gabe got over being a
love-struck Romeo?
    But her irritation could only last so long
with Dan’s all-encompassing voice wrapping around her, somehow
managing to break through the chaos of sound to get inside her soul
to soothe her troubled spirit. It was obvious he was in another
place entirely and Jessie had the feeling that if she closed her
eyes and let him, he’d take her there, too.
    And then, just like that, the song was over
and the din returned. Dan chomped his gum happily as he seemed to
decide what to play next before weaving the spell all over
again.
    Jessie found it impossible to not be swept
away by the music and the man so near to her. But she was also
mindful of the bar’s resident cop that kept walking through. The
last thing she wanted was for it to get back to Captain Carter that
Gabe was cozied up to someone like her. She also didn’t need it
getting back to Spence that she’d been seen with a cop.
    “It’s really stupid being here,” she leaned
in close to his ear.
    “Probably,” he agreed after a short pause.
“If I take you back to my place, someone we know would probably see
us. You want to go find somewhere in the suburbs?”
    “I want to find somewhere far away from here.
Just for a few days. I want to be just a woman with a man. Is there
anywhere we could do that?” Jessie felt like a foolish little girl
for admitting it, but the words were out before she could stop
them.
    “You know what? I can arrange that,” he
appeared thoughtful. “If you can get away for the week, that is.
We’ll head out Tuesday afternoon.”
    “You don’t have to do that,” Jessie shook her
head, still keenly embarrassed by her outburst.
    “No, it’s a great idea. I’ve wanted to toss
you over my shoulder and run you away from here since the moment I
met you. It just felt a little caveman, so I resisted the
temptation.”
    “I appreciate that,” she told him wryly. She
wasn’t really sure what to do once that was decided. She didn’t
want to go, but knew she shouldn’t stay, either. Dan decided for
her when his next song was a favorite Springsteen cover.
    She leaned against the wall, her legs propped
on Gabe’s lap beneath the table. He absentmindedly traced lazy
circles on her skin just above her cowgirl boots. The casual touch
and the music were enough to make her forget all the reasons to not
be sitting there.
    She might not be able to name the jumble he
had caused in her, but she did know that he filled her with the
oddest desire to please him. And while she was quite convinced that
she could never give him what he really wanted—she would never be
free of Spence—she could give him one thing he wanted.
    “Do me a favor?” she pulled him towards her
as she leaned towards him.
    “Anything,” he smiled in a way that made her
mind go blank for a moment. She blinked a few times before her
thoughts came back.
    “Tell Carter I’ll do what he wants. Just as
soon as we get back.”
    “Hey, that’s not why I’m doing any of
this—you know that,