Page 9 of Stone Cold Bad (Stone Brothers #1)

SEVEN

JADE

A my’s shirt was exceptionally small across the chest and, without a bra, I ended up walking through the entire store with my arms crossed over my breasts.

And without any underwear, her shorts were riding up uncomfortably too.

Occasionally, I withdrew one hand from my boobs to pull at the hem of the shorts and wrench them from my crotch. Colt was entertained.

“I’m glad you find this amusing,” I said. “Thank goodness someone was smart enough to invent underwear.”

“Really? I say fuck ‘em. Just one more obstacle, as far as I’m concerned.”

Colt looked completely out of place in the small store, and it seemed not many people were used to seeing him in there.

His black t-shirt made his tattoos look particularly menacing as they trailed out along his arms. The overhead lights flickered reflections off his pale eyes and the silver plugs.

One particularly frightened woman grabbed her little girl’s hand and pulled her out of the shoe aisle when she saw us come around the corner. Colt didn’t seem to notice or care.

He looked down at my feet. I’d pulled on the boots even though they were still moist. “What size are you?”

“You don’t have to buy me shoes too. The underwear, shorts and shirts are enough.”

“You can’t walk around in those boots all the time. Although, I did have this really great dream last night, and those black boots were an important character.”

I blushed. “Holy shit, if you could earn money flirting you’d be a rich man.”

“See, and I consider myself a rich man just because I’m damn good at flirting. Among other things.”

“I’m not going to argue there.” I hid another blush, while also still trying to hide my very exposed breasts.

“Anything else?”

“I hate to ask for anything more . . . but a toothbrush and a few bathroom essentials?”

“That makes sense. You’ll have to excuse me, I’ve never brought home a stray girl before.”

I took hold of his arm. He stared down at my fingers on his arm and then gazed up at me with a look that made me wonder why the hell I’d turned him down earlier. He was something else.

“I’ll pay you back for all this just as soon as I can. Amy is going to introduce me to her boss later this afternoon.”

“She’s trying to get you a gig at Lazy Daze? That place is a hell hole. Of course, we spend a lot of time there, but we sort of fit well in a hell hole. You don’t.”

“Trust me, I just left hell behind. Every place else is going to feel like heaven.”

He gazed down at me long enough to send my heart a few good paces ahead. He stirred every inch of me. “Glad you got free of him.”

“Yeah, me too.” I knew I wasn’t completely free of Ray, but for now, the feeling of relief at not having to see him or talk to him or have him touch me was nearly overwhelming.

I hadn’t realized just how badly I needed to leave him until now.

It was as if I could finally release the breath I’d been holding for the last year.

We grabbed the rest of the things that I’d need to not look completely homeless.

As we walked back through the store, it seemed every head turned to watch.

Most people looked a little stunned to see Colt, and some were genuinely giddy about his visit to the store, in particular the two teenage girls running the checkout stands.

The one whose line we ended up in nearly passed out with nerves. Her friend looked green with envy.

The cashier blushed pink under a light spray of freckles. Her hands were shaky, and I felt a little sorry for her. The most amusing part of it all was that Colt didn't even seem to notice the stir he’d caused.

He paid for my things, and the girl smiled up at him. She hadn’t said a word, but her expression spoke volumes. Both young cashiers giggled wildly as we walked out.

“Is it always like that when you walk through a place?” I asked.

“Like what?”

I chuckled. “Like a damn rock star just walked through with his hair on fire. Come on, you had to notice.”

“Just figured they were all staring at those beautiful tits of yours bouncing wildly in that tiny shirt.” He reached up and swept his fingers across the shirt . . . and my nipple. “Nice. This braless look is working for you.”

It took me a second to regain my composure. His one light touch, even through fabric, had sent a flurry of heat through my body. My profound reaction hadn’t escaped his notice.

“Everything all right, darlin’?” A glimmer of a smile crossed his face as he opened the truck door for me.

I took a deep breath and climbed inside. “Everything’s just fine.”