Page 14 of Falling for You

“Well, sorry to tell you, massage therapy isn’t in my bag of tricks. But if you wanted me to get rid of your grays, I’d be the woman to call.” She smirks but I don’t know if she’s teasing me or being fucking serious.

I stare at her as she calmly munches away on sugary goodness, sips her tea with her damn pinky up, glances around the room all coy-like. I narrow my eyes, hold them on her for several beats, hoping she’ll crack.

Not that I’m a conceited asshole or anything — but Idolook in the mirror and I’ve never seen any gray hairs. I’m only thirty-two years old, for fuck’s sake! That’s too young for gray hair, right?

My hand lifts to my head as if I’ll be able to feel the difference in a strand of brown or gray hair, and I’m trying to be as inconspicuous about it as possible but I know that I’m basically outing myself. Her lip twitches just as mine did earlier when I was trying to hold back laughter but I still don’t know if she’s just being a little shit or if she’s actually serious and I’m turning gray and she’s laughing at my expense.

I’m also completely unsure why I care so damn much whether or not I have a few gray hairs. Silver foxes are actually a thing now, right? Women gush over how sexy they are. Of course, I think they’re talking about men as old as George Clooney but still…

Her laughter explodes from her lips and soon she’s leaning over, slapping the table as she wheezes to catch her breath. Just as she did earlier, I toss a piece of the fudgy chocolate at her. But she’s too far gone to notice and it just smacks her in the forehead before falling onto her lap. She doesn’t seem to care, though, as she continues laughing.

“You… should… see… your face,” she says through laughter. She’s wiping away tears and sucking in her breath, holding her chest with her hand, her nostrils suction in as she tries to gasp in more air.

“I think you’re the turd, not me.”

One more swipe at my head and she falls right back into a fit of giggles. The few other patrons in the restaurant are staring at her but she doesn’t seem to care. And if I’m honest, neither do I.

Earlier tonight she was so damn sad. To the point where she seemed like she was giving up and now she’s laughing so hard she can’t breathe and it’s all because of me. I always knew I held some kind of magical powers. This just confirms it.

I’m fucking awesome.

“Oh my gosh, Rex. You’re so… man, that was so good. Are you really that worried about gray hair? Your face turned Casper the Ghost white! You looked like you were about to puke!”

“I’m not vain or anything! I just… I’m a little young for gray hair, right?”

“Nah. I know some people who go gray pretty young. But you don’t have to worry. I was just giving you shit. And I’m glad I did because that was amazing.”

I don’t tell her I’m glad she did, too. Telling her how much I like seeing her happy would likely freak her out, rightfully so.

Chapter Four

Chloe

“I’m so full,”I groan, taking another bite.

He laughs as I slide the fork out of my mouth and swallow down the creamy cheesecake. I’ll have to run three extra miles tomorrow from eating all of this. Well, that is, if I was a runner. Instead I’ll do some squats or something.

Rex probably runs. Or goes to the gym. Or flips those heavy tires and does rock climbing and pull ups in his sleep. Very little of his body is showing but it’s not hard to miss that he’s in good shape. His forearms alone are what orgasms are made of.

And I really,reallywant to see the tattoos hidden beneath his shirt sleeves.

“You still haven’t told me much about your salon.”

“I figured you’d lost interest once you learned it wasn’t one of those happy ending places.”

“Well, obviously, that would have made it much more interesting but I still want to know more about your boring salon.”

I smile and fiddle with my fork before laying my napkin on my plate and pushing it away. Everything is so delicious that if I don’t do something to stop myself, I’ll just continue eating all night long.

“I don’t really know how to explain it, I guess. I want it light and airy. A lot of wood and white and green colors for accents. To start, I would have at least two hair and nail stations. Eventually, though, I’d like to bring in a massage therapist and esthetician who would do facials and makeup services… kind of like a salonandspa.”

“Ahh. So that’s what you mean about full service. The works.”

“Yup.”

“And why were you denied?”

“I don’t think I had a detailed enough financial plan. It’s the first time I’d ever done anything like that. I inherited my house when my mother passed away, which was already paid for. I bought my very used car, or former car thanks to this morning’s accident, in cash. I didn’t realize how little credit history I have until I went to the bank to get a startup loan to open my own salon.”

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