Garrett Read Online Free PDF Page B

stumble forward a foot. “You know Sutton adores you. She’s just protective of her cousin, that’s all.”
    “It’s not like I’m going to corrupt her innocence,” I grumble as I reach the locker room. “It’s just a date, for fuck’s sake.”
    Alex snorts as he follows me in. “Seriously? A date? Is that what you’re calling it these days?”
    “Yes, a date, douchebag. It’s not like I haven’t ever gone on a date before.”
    “Yeah, but your idea of the perfect date ends up with you in the sack, busting a nut.”
    “So what?” I mutter. “Who wouldn’t want to end a date like that? In fact, tell me you didn’t want your first date with Sutton to end that way.”
    Alex’s face flushes guilty red and I smirk knowingly at him. I don’t give him a chance to deny it and hit him hard. “Besides…I’ve gone out on plenty of dates that don’t end up with the chick in my bed, and if Olivia just wants to go out for a nice time, then I’m all for that. I don’t have any expectations one way or the other.”
    I have hopes, but no expectations.
    Hanging his head in resignation, Alex grumbles, “All right, I get it.”
    I grin over my victory and sit down on one of the benches to remove my skates. But the victory is short-lived when Alex brings me back down to earth. “But she already turned you down, dude. So it’s kind of moot, right?”
    My eyebrows furrow in consternation, because, yeah…Olivia was pretty adamant that she didn’t want to go out with me. But I’m also not one to give up so easily. If I was that type of person, I would never have made it as a professional hockey player.
    “Do you have Olivia’s phone number?” I ask Alex.
    “Nope,” he says, looking a little relieved not to be tangled up in this.
    “Call Sutton…get it for me.”
    “No fucking way,” Alex says forcefully. “Sutton would wring my neck for even asking. You’re on your own, man.”
    Asshole,
I think to myself, but then a devious smile comes to my face. No matter. I know where she works. I think I might be in need of a fresh floral arrangement. My brain immediately starts thinking of how I can approach Olivia and get her to reverse her decision not to go out with me.
    —
    I push open the glass door to Fleurish, immediately hit with wonderful scents. Some floral, but some spicy. My eyes are then treated to a barrage of colors as I’m overwhelmed by the sheer volume of plants and flower arrangements that are perched on tables and various stands. Subtle mood lighting is reflected with small, decorative lamps strategically placed around the store. I’ve never been in a flower shop before, but it’s…nice. Definitely calming.
    “Can I help you find something?” I hear a somewhat effeminate voice that I don’t recognize as Olivia’s.
    As I look up, my eyes round with surprise, taking in the man standing before me. He’s short, at least a foot shorter than me, and very thin. He’s wearing a pair of dark skinny jeans, Doc Martens, and a bright pink wife-beater with the armholes cut down almost to his waist. His hair is almost a white-blond, with a long, pink-tipped Mohawk sticking up at least a good five inches. A floral design of pink crystals starts at his right eye and extends over his cheekbone.
    “Um…yeah…I’m looking for Olivia. Is she here?”
    The outlandishly flamboyant man’s eyes flare wide and his mouth forms in a perfect
o.
“You’re Garrett Samuelson.”
    I flash him my trademark grin, popping the killer dimples, which I don’t mind sharing with him. “Are you a Cold Fury fan?”
    Stepping forward, the guy gives me a wicked smile and says, “Not at all. The sport is too violent for my tastes, but Olivia is. I’m her boss, Stevie Magliano.”
    I reach out to give him a shake, but he stuns the fuck out of me when he grabs my hand and lifts it to his lips. Before I can pull away, he smacks a kiss on my knuckles and says, “Oh, you are a handsome devil. Just like she said.”
    He