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Elsie's lips curved into an appreciative smile as her eyes trailed down my body, before returning, achingly slowly, to my face. I licked my lips, my own stare wandering to take in where her tank top had rucked up to expose the pale skin of her stomach.

What I wouldn’t give to get a taste of a girl likethat.

I reached behind me to grab my coffee cup from the bar, taking a sip in an incredibly weak attempt to hide my interest, only to sputter and cough, choking on the sickly coppery tang coating my tongue along with the taste of espresso.

Blood.

“Ugh!” I groaned, turning to find my cup waiting for me patiently just to the left of where I’d accidentally grabbed Ren’s.

A soft, feminine giggle met my ears, and I turned my head toward the noise to find Elsie sitting backwards on the chair, her eyes alight with humour as she watched me blush and splutter.

“You okay?” Ren called as I beat my fist against my chest, trying to stop myself from choking and demanding my heart to stop beating so hard. “Choking on your own drool, Pet?”

The little jab at my obvious interest in her covenmate would’ve been funny if the whole thing hadn’t gone from mildly embarrassing to downright cringe-worthy when, as though summoned by my own wild imagination, Juniper pushed aside the heavy black curtain that led to the back, her eyes widening in surprise before her lip curled.

My face had to be scarlet.

“Ooooh, coffee!” Kaylee cheered excitedly from behind her. I’d been so distracted with Juniper that I hadn’t even noticed her standing there.

“Why are you soaked? And what thefuckdid you do to your hair?” the redhead snapped, her hands going to her rounded hips with a deep scowl.

Kaylee rounded her, a blonde eyebrow raising. “Striker, you, uh…. Cut your hair, buddy?”

If I hadn’t been blushing already, the carefulI don't want to set off my best friend while she is clearly having some sort of nervous breakdowntone would’ve done the trick.

“Does it really look that bad?” I asked, flattening my new bangs down anxiously.

Juniper said, “Yes!” at the same time Kaylee and Ren said, “No!”

“Did you cut it with a rusted butterknife?” the blue-eyed vampire asked, rounding the bar to adjust them. I raised my hand to try to flatten them again, and she swatted my fingers with an irritated noise. “Don’t answer that.”

Elsie’s musical laugh warned everyone of her approach. “They’re cute, Junebug. Besides, we can even them up a little bit with my touch-up scissors. Don’t scare off the new girl by being such a grumpy Gus.”

“I’m desperate for a half-decent bartender,” Ren begged of the stylist, leaning her elbow against the polished wood of the bar with her head cocked to the side in a plea. “You can be nice for one day, can’t you? Besides, I like the bangs. They give her a little edge.”

Her wink in my direction was a bit of overkill that I am embarrassed to admitabsolutelyworked for me.

Juniper took the cup that Elsie offered and looked over its brim at me, her oceanic eyes narrowed. “Fine, but they need to be fixed before we open to the public. And no more DIY projects, please. We have a reputation to maintain, and how you look reflects on all of us. Didn’t Dana explain the dress code?”

“I… Well?—”

“It’s her first official day,” Kaylee intervened, her hackles rising as she collected her cup. “And she’s going to be amazing, so just relax, Ginger Spice.”

Out of the two of us, I was the scrapper, but Kaylee wasn’t above taking out her earrings and getting messy if she thought someone was being disrespectful.

“Don’t worry; the second I have a copy, I’ll follow it to the letter, okay?” I said, cutting my friend acan you please chillsort of look, even if watching her get all protective gave me the warm fuzzies.

Ren rounded the bar, and I was reminded again of painted portraits as she pulled Juniper against her, whispering in the vampire’s ear too low for me to hear. Against Ren’s tall, lanky build, Juniper's soft curves were even more accentuated, especially with her rounded hips hugged by a pair of black denim overalls rolled at the cuffs and a simple white T-shirt peeking out from underneath. Pins poked out from the side of her hair, pulled back into a long curly ponytail that swayed behind her when she moved.

Juniper shuddered as her back met Ren’s wet front. “Ugh! Ren, you’re fucking soaked!”

“Usually when you say that, it’s with a lot less disgust in your tone,” she mumbled against the vampire’s ear with a short laugh.

Juniper hissed, pushing Ren off. “You, find some dry clothes. And you,” she said as she pointed at me. “The same, but with the added task of fixing your hair. I need to go fix Peaches’s costume for the Diamonds number; she popped the bra strap again.” She turned, whipping her wave of fiery hair behind her, and stormed off through the curtain to the back, calling back to us, “Elsie! Make sure it’s done!”

“Don’t mind her.” the vampire in question said quickly. “She’s moody because she doesn’t like a change in her routine and the bagel place didn’t have her usual… she’s also not a fan of new people. Or cute girls with bangs.” Elsie rolled her eyes, waving for me to follow her. “Come on, I’ll get you a dress and help you with the raccoon eyes you got going on.”

“Raccoon eyes?” I asked in horror, using my thumb to wipe under my eye.