Page 20 of Cursed Luck
When he did not reply and instead stared stupidly at her, she frowned before turning on her heels and stalking back in the direction she had come from. He lifted the smoky whiskey to his lips, wishing for once he could feel the effects of alcohol. How he had not noticed the little quirk was beyond him.
He used to enjoy his business trips, earning money as he helped clients make money by guiding their choices. Seeing and sleeping with gorgeous women who understood and accepted their no-strings-attached sexual exploits was a bonus.
Life had been great. At least, that was what he’d thought. The idea of returning to his old social life left a bitter taste in his mouth.
“Married?” a man asked as he settled next to him. “Or are you into men?”
Edward lowered the glass. The man had salt-and-pepper hair, someone his sister and sisters-in-law would describe as a silver fox. “Neither.”
The man chuckled and offered his free hand. “Ken. I remember fighting it.”
Edward narrowed his eyes, trying to understand the stranger. “Edward, and what do you seem to think I’m fighting?”
Ken cast him a sly grin. “Fighting your attraction to whoever is on your mind the way I fought the attraction to my wife. I’d refused to accept I wanted her and no one else.”
“Why would you—”
“You turned away a willing and beautiful woman, and from how you’re dressed, I’d guess you’re here on business?”
Edward looked down at his charcoal-gray suit before sighing at his nearly empty glass.
“I know you didn’t ask but… a word of advice? When a woman has you passing up all the others, you should fightforher. Walking away is only going to hurt you. I can promise the sex with this woman will blow all the others out of the water if she’s your soul mate.” The man pushed to his feet and set his empty glass on the counter. “Best of luck, son.”
Soul mate.
It seemed he could not get away from the word even if he tried.
An image of his hotel bed came to mind before he gave in. Edward tossed back the remnants of his drink and pushed to his feet, the man’s words swirling with those from his family the other night.
Mia managed to scramble his brain even at a distance. No woman he passed could measure to her looks or entice him like Mia did. Even his dick seemed to shrivel at the thought of another woman.
He would find no relief in a bottle of whiskey nor between some strange beauty’s thighs. All he had left was the lumpy hotel pillow and whatever movie played on TV.
Chapter 10
“Wow!”
Mia heard the single word a moment after the chime had alerted her to another customer. She’d just stepped into her back room after helping the last person who came in. It had been like that every day since the last call with her parents, a revolving door of clients who either spotted her shop or were referred by another customer.
She grinned, excitement bubbling within her at the change. Mia did not even mind that she had not closed until well over an hour past closing on a few of those days.
Business was booming!
Thanks to Edward,her damn mind reminded her.
“I’ll be with you in a moment!” she called to her faceless customer.
Mia hurried to one of her cabinets and opened it. She squatted and peered into a nearly empty space. “Crap, I need to put in that order,” she muttered to herself. Mia grabbed the last medium vase and stood as the chime rang again.
Rushing out of the back room, she spotted her new friends whispering. Their gazes were locked on something just out of view before they noticed her.
“Hey!” she said as Brandy nodded toward the other side of the shop.
“Go help him. We’re here to kidnap you,” Vanessa said and waggled her brows.
“Kidnap me?” she muttered before setting her sights on whoever was in the store.
Over six feet of handsome muscle spun in a slow circle. His brows were pinched together in a familiar worried expression before he saw her.
