Hypnotized Read Online Free PDF Page B

Stabilizing the bike, I held my hand back for her to grip as she climbed off. I set the kickstand and as I swung my leg over the bike I came face to face with her and had the urge to kiss her again. Would she let me?
    “How was it?” I unhooked my helmet.
    “Great. Just like any other ride.” She stared up at the sky as she unclasped her helmet.
    As she handed it to me, I decided to let it go. She had her reasons, I suppose, for not wanting to admit she’d never been on a bike before. Who was I to judge?
    Inside, we found an empty booth in the back corner. We slid in opposite sides as a waitress hurried over to wipe the table off and grab the tip someone else had left.
    “Can I get ya’ll something to drink?” she asked, gripping the dirty rag.
    “Coffee,” I said.
    “Same.” Paisley paused. “And an OJ.”
    “Coming right up.” She spun around and headed back to the kitchen, hopefully to wash her hands before getting our drinks.
    I already knew what I wanted, so I studied Paisley as she stared at the menu. After a few minutes, the waitress returned with our drinks and we both ordered.
    “How was work?” She sipped the OJ through the straw.
    “Boring.” Though one guy had an outline done for a cool tattoo. I couldn’t wait to see how it turned out.
    “What do you do?”
    I grinned. “I’m a tattoo artist.”
    Her eyes got wide. “Seriously?”
    “Seriously.”
    “I didn’t peg you as a tattoo artist.”
    No one ever did. “How come?”
    She squinted her eyes. “Aren’t they usually bald with long goatees?”
    I burst out laughing. “You’re so cute, you know that?”
    Her cheeks turned a light shade of red.
    Twirling a creamer between my fingers, I said, “It’s okay. I like not being what you’d expect.”
    She shrugged. “How old are you, anyway?”
    “Twenty-three.”
    She chewed her bottom lip. Did my age make her nervous?
    “Am I too old for you?” Leaning back, I drank my coffee.
    “Uh, I guess not.” She toyed with a strand of her hair.
    “Good because age is only a number. So, how old are you?”
    She grinned. “You’re never supposed to ask a woman her age or weight.”
    Setting my coffee down, I let my eyes take her in. “I’d guess you’re eighteen and about one twenty-five.”
    “You’re right on one of them.” She giggled. “But which one, I’m not telling.”
    The waitress returned. “The plates are hot, so be careful.” She set one in front of each of us.
    After she left, I stared at my plate, then at hers. Paisley’s looked better than mine, but was she going to be able to eat all of that?
    I picked up a slice of bacon. “Have you decided when you’re moving in yet?”
    She took a bite of her sausage. “Soon.”
    “I’m looking forward to it.”
    “Why?”
    “Because then you’ll be around more.” I scooped up some hash browns.
    Nervously, she asked, “Do, uh. Do you live nearby?”
    “Not far. I’m in a condo down the main stretch of road.”
    “So, if you don’t live in downtown, and you don’t work at the coffee shop, why are you always there?”
    Good question. One I didn’t really have an answer for. “I like the environment.”
    “It’s so dark in there. How could you study?”
    Was now the time to tell her I wasn’t taking college classes? That I’d tried it and found it wasn’t for me. Here she was so young and new to “adult” life. “I manage.”
    Her cell phone dinged and I watched as she typed a message to someone. Probably the guy who’d been all over her at the party. That guy wanted Paisley, but she didn’t seem to know it.
    “Sorry about that.” She set the phone on the table.
    “It’s no bother to me.”
    We ate the next few minutes in comfortable silence. I did the best I could to keep my eyes off of her, but it wasn’t easy. Sure, I’d been attracted to girls in the past, but there was something about her that hypnotized me.
    When our plates were practically cleaned, I realized that meant our breakfast was