04 - Shock and Awesome Read Online Free PDF Page B

enjoyed the peace and solitude of her home life, but I wouldn't have swapped my upbringing for the world. It was the same kind of life their child would have, exactly the one Lily wanted for him or her.
     
          My brothers ended up sharing our booth before Lily and Jord headed home, probably to do something really gross. So hurrah for staying at the bar, only that meant Daniel had to drive my car home and help me upstairs, and, well, yeah, he made sure I got into bed too, before dropping my car keys on the nightstand. The last I heard was the apartment door clicking shut, and a minute or two later, the sound of Garrett's car leaving. Then I was off to Sleepyland in my best kitten pajamas, sleeping a dreamless sleep for the first time in a very long while.
     
     
       
     
           
     
           
     
          Chapter Three
     

     
           
     
          "You ready for this?" Solomon gave me an imperceptible look as he pulled into a parking space in front of a dull, red brick building downtown. I kept my sunglasses on and hoped my queasiness didn't show. It hit me hard this morning that I drank one mojito too many; the most obvious clue being my green-hued skin, and waking up with my kitty pajamas on inside-out and a pillow atop my head.
     
          I gave him a "humph" that could have meant anything from “raring to go” to “I really want to go back to bed — now” and looked up at the building. I don't know what I expected from Million Matches, but this didn't look like the kind of place rich folk came to find potential partners; but then, what did I know? I found my last boyfriend during a temp job and he was there undercover. I didn't know yet what to call Solomon? Ex? Fling? Former lover? None seemed appropriate. Friend, maybe. Boss, definitely. Anything else was yet to be defined. That lack of definition gave me a few sleepless nights, just as many, in fact, as whether Maddox was really playing an undercover role a few weeks ago, or having a little extra on the side with Detective Blake.
     
          "Hello? Earth to Lexi ."
     
          "Here!" I plastered on a smile as I looked up to meet Solomon's beautiful brown eyes. I shoved my man problems into the corner of my mind that contained a big stick and a vault. If those distracting thoughts snuck out of that dark corner, I would mentally bash them. Twice.
     
          "It's practically a done deal," Solomon continued with whatever I forgot to listen to. "All the director wants to do is check you over and make sure you'll fit in with their clientele. That's a nice dress. Pretty."
     
          "Um, thank you. What exactly do you mean by 'fit'?" I had the uncomfortable feeling of being paraded about at a Miss World contest while being found a little closer to Near Miss. My dress was nice though: a pale pink shift that I got half-off on sale two years ago, with nude pumps, and a laser-cut, leather pouch bag that I found a huge discount for online. Heck, I was a sales ninja.
     
          "Just that you're the kind of woman who would attract their kind of clientele," Solomon confirmed, glancing over me once more. His eyes lingered a moment too long and I gulped. "Or, more specifically, our unsub ," he continued.
     
          "I love it when you say ' unsub '. It's so Criminal Minds ."
     
          "I don't like the word ' perp '."
     
          "It does sound like the noise a demented chick would make."
     
          " Unsub it is." Solomon nodded, then fist-bumped me. Maybe I read it all wrong. Maybe he did just think I looked right for the meeting, because in that moment, I never felt less desirable. A fist-bump didn't exactly scream Solomon wanted me, and didn't want our fling-or-whatever-thing to be over. A fist-bump said "Hey buddy" and nothing sexy at all. What was wrong with him? That stream of jumbled thoughts reminded me, and I visualized my mental big stick bashing the stray thoughts involving my boss having