Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 157672 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 788(@200wpm)___ 631(@250wpm)___ 526(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 157672 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 788(@200wpm)___ 631(@250wpm)___ 526(@300wpm)
Her ex-boyfriend comes to mind.
“Yeah, it sucked. But now I thank God. I’ve met Talon.”
“Amen, sister.” She smiles a blinding smile as another blonde wedges between us.
“I’m Shayla.”
“Harley’s cousin?” Harley and Jewls mentioned her several times.
“Yep, you the new member of the club?”
The club… Casanova Club.
The infamous mansion on the hill with a rotating door of women. Or so the rumor goes.
“I guess?”
She assesses me, her lips in a thin line until they reach my feet and spread into an admiring smile. “Nice shoes.”
I stop myself from dancing at her compliment. “Thanks, they are new—”
A high-pitched, jarring shriek sends all of us jumping.
Please, dear Jesus, this can’t be happening.
The pig-like sound came from none other than Rylee. She’s glaring at me with such hatred and revulsion my skin singes.
“You! Why are you here? Trying to sabotage my wedding isn’t enough. Now you want to ruin my bridal preparation?”
“I-I-I had no idea you were here.”
“Sure, you didn’t. Are you following me?”
“I knew I hated this bitch when she made her consultation appointment,” Shayla says loud enough for everyone to hear.
Rylee’s face flames, the fury building.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Rowan backing away.
“What did you tell them?” Rylee bellows, “Did you give them a sad story, blaming me for your misfortunes? It’s not my fault you’re a shrew who doesn’t know how to keep a man.”
My stomach twists, and I go light-headed. Everyone is gaping as my sister tears me apart in Rowan’s salon.
This has to stop.
“I-I-I didn’t say a thing.”
“I-I-I,” she mocks. “Your stutter is annoying, Willow. Who wants a physical therapist who can’t speak correctly? Get your life together.”
She makes a move my way, pointing her finger viciously. “You are a pathetic loser!”
My wits return and I square my shoulders, sucking in a deep breath. “Rylee, we need to take this outside. You’re disrupting Rowan’s business.”
“Rowan? What? You’re on first-name basis with the owner of the hottest salon in town? Puuuhhllease, you couldn’t afford to come here if you tried. Living like a hobo and looking like one, too. How do you even show your face in this place?”
My confidence in my carefully chosen outfit vanishes.
“I love her shoes,” Shayla defends. “And she looks a hell of a lot classier than that knock-off you’re wearing.”
“Shayla is a fashion buyer,” one stylist calls out.
The flames of Rylee’s skin heat to the hue of almost purple. “You bitch, you are enjoying this.”
I’m momentarily distracted by the rumble of a motorcycle somewhere in the distance when she shoves me hard. My body arcs back, my feet tangling and I go down, my head banging with a loud crash against the glass door.
Black stars blur my vision and nausea rolls as pain radiates in my skull and neck. There’s screaming, yelling, and chaos erupting as mortification smothers me.
“What the motherfucking fuck is going on!”
Talon’s roar sends a hush over the room, and I crack an eye enough to see him glaring at Rylee with a deadly force that fills the air.
He’s not in the uniform he left my house in this morning. He’s wearing black nylon shorts and a t-shirt that stretches across his broad chest and arms with a fading Marines logo. His black hat is turned backward. If the situation was different, I’d be drooling.
My stomach turns for a new reason when I note Rylee is eyeing him with pure desire.
He’s at my side in a second, lifting me like a child into his arms. “Baby, can you open your eyes?”
“Yes, I’m okay.”
“Bullshit.”
“Did you call her baby? Who are you?”
He stands, spinning to face her. “Your worst nightmare.”
“This woman is stalking me!” she tries.
“You better have a good fucking lawyer,” Ford seethes, Rowan tucked into his chest. “You don’t bring that bullshit into my woman’s building.”
“Willow is the one at fault. I’m here for a bridal consultation. I waited months for a spot to open up!”
Shayla saunters to the computer and scans the screen. “You were referred by Stacy Richards?”
“She’s my mother, and my father is one of the most influential people in this town. He’s a multi-million dollar Healthcare Executive.”
I groan at her description. Typical for her to use Dad’s position and influence to get an appointment.
“Sterling know you’re throwing his name around like that?” Talon snipes.
“You know my dad?”
He doesn’t answer which fuels her rage. She slices her eyes to me. “You are a pathetic, selfish, wretched bitch. Why can’t you accept Joey loves me more than he could ever love you? You’re dull and frigid—can you blame him?”
The air is sucked out of the room as my whole secret is exposed. Talon’s body strings tighter, shaking against me.
“Oh no.” Rowan moves in front of us, Ford stepping in front of her.
“Bitch, I don’t know what world you live in or who you think is saving you from this,” Shayla speaks casually, seeming bored. “You fucked with a Casanova’s woman. Not a smart move.”