Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 37324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 187(@200wpm)___ 149(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 187(@200wpm)___ 149(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
Rhodes grunted and shifted in his seat, reminding me he was there, his presence helping me out by pouring a bucket of cold water over my libido.
I put the SUV in reverse and pulled out of the spot, then started the trek to Rhodes’s home.
Patience wasn’t passive; it was pressure applied with aim. I didn’t need to talk it to death or explain it to anyone. I knew what I wanted. I knew what I was building. And when the sun slid under the skyline and the salon lights turned everything inside to warm gold again, I’d be exactly where I needed to be.
7
IVY
By the end of the week, I’d stopped pretending that Saxon showing up every day was a coincidence. Even though he still tried to make it seem like it.
During the early afternoon lull, Missy leaned her elbows on the front desk and gave me a look that meant trouble. But her voice was sweet as she asked, “So, Ivy, do you want me to stop booking male clients for you?”
I blinked at her reflection in the mirror. “What?”
“You know, except for Nighthawks players,” she teased. “Your guy nearly burned a hole through one who wasn’t even in your chair.”
My comb slipped in my hand. “He’s not my guy.”
Missy grinned. “Mm-hmm. Sure.”
Before I could come up with something clever, Lorna walked in from the break room, one hand absently rubbing her rounded belly. “That won’t even help. Better make it only married players. If Saxon’s anything like Cole, he’ll still get all growly over the single guys on his team.”
Missy laughed. “Fine by me. Married athletes only for Ivy—strict policy. Gotta keep the peace.”
“You’re both ridiculous,” I muttered, turning back to my station and pretending to fuss with my scissors as I tried to hide the little thrill I felt at the idea of Saxon being jealous over me.
Lorna came up beside me, her grin widening. “I’m not sure how you can say that when you’ve seen how my husband is with me. Missy’s suggestion sounds perfectly reasonable.”
“Maybe if we were talking about Cole.” I shook my head with a sigh. “But you’re married to him and carrying his baby. Saxon has only driven me home a few times.”
Missy flashed a mischievous smile at Lorna. “What she’s not mentioning is that you missed our resident growly football player bringing Rhodes Channing in for a cut today.”
“He what?” Lorna huffed. “I knew I shouldn’t have let Cole talk me into taking half the day off.”
“You needed the rest.” I pointed at her rounded belly. “You’re cooking a baby in there, remember?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Yeah, but it sounds like I missed all the good stuff.”
“You really did,” Missy chirped. “Saxon barely said a word and didn’t crack a smile the whole time. And when Gloria’s client so much as peeked at her, his jaw did that thing where he looks like he’s plotting someone’s murder.”
“Facts,” Gloria mumbled from the station next to mine.
Lorna turned to me with a smug little tilt of her head. “See? He brought in a married guy. I rest my case.”
I stared at her, flustered. “That proves nothing.” Right?
Her grin only grew. “Oh, it proves plenty. He’s territorial, just like Cole was when we started dating.”
There were many similarities in how Saxon was acting, but I refused to assume they meant anything.
Missy snickered. “Saxon doesn’t even have to say anything. His glare does all the talking.”
Lorna laughed softly and rubbed her belly again. “Poor Ivy. Caught up with another broody Nighthawk who doesn’t believe in playing it cool.”
“I’m not stuck with anyone,” I protested, but my voice lacked conviction.
“Of course not,” Missy said, far too innocently.
I tossed her a look in the mirror. “You’re enjoying this way too much.”
“Maybe.” She winked. “But watching him mark his territory was the highlight of my day.”
I groaned and ducked my head, sweeping stray clippings off the floor to hide my burning cheeks. Their laughter filled the salon, warm and familiar, and I couldn’t help smiling—even as I muttered, “You’re all ridiculous.”
Lorna leaned her hip against the counter beside me. “You’re blushing because you know we’re right.”
I glanced at her reflection. “He’s impossible.”
Her grin softened. “Yeah, they all are.”
I didn’t answer. Because the truth was, she was right. Saxon was possessive and over-the-top in ways that should’ve irritated me. But every time his name popped up on my phone, or he showed up to drive me home, I melted a little more.
The rest of the day passed in a blur, but my focus was shot. Every time my phone buzzed with a new appointment reminder or product alert, my heart leaped like it was waiting for his name to pop up instead.
When my last client of the day left, I started wiping down my chair, telling myself I wasn’t checking my phone every thirty seconds.