split.”
Flipping a lock of hair over her shoulder, she shrugged. “You’re a sweet guy that I thought I hated, but I made a mistake.”
He stared at her for a long moment. Something looked odd about her. Her thin face remained strained, like she had a secret to tell. What was it? His eyes widened. Her hair. “I see you tried a new hair colour.” It looked like the exact shade of Jaden’s. What the fuck?
Sabrina cocked her head and twisted a honey curl around her finger. “You like it? I thought of you when I bought the box this morning. ‘Unleash the real you’.”
“Uh-huh.” Thinking of me, or trying to be someone you aren’t… He’d bet the latter. “If you like it, then good for you.” He checked his watch. “I have to go.”
A slow smile blossomed on Sabrina’s coral lips. “Why don’t you drop by around lunch? We can share a glass of wine and catch up.” Waving, she strolled back up the sidewalk. “I’ll leave the door unlocked.”
Marlon settled in the bucket seat and yanked his keys from his pocket. Whatever had got into Sabrina’s head to make her think he wanted something from her was beyond him. So they’d dated for a year? Lots of people dated with no expectation of a deep relationship. So they’d had sex. It hadn’t been earth-shattering. Thinking about her didn’t keep him up at night. Sex with her certainly hadn’t rocked his world. He watched her saunter to her front door and shivered in disgust. There was no rush, no bone-deep desire to know every inch of her body.
So why obsess about Jaden? There were more than a hundred text messages back and forth between them and only two—no, three real kisses, but the memory of those kisses seared him. His heart had begun to beat again. His blood boiled when he held her in his arms. Did she feel the same? He snorted. Jaden had probably seen him with Sabrina, come to the wrong conclusion, and gone on her merry way. Not that he blamed her… Sabrina didn’t walk away quietly from anyone for very long.
What was it about Jaden? Before her transformation, she could stop traffic with her looks. The rail-thin body, the blonde hair shimmering around her face, the wild behaviour… But he wasn’t drawn to the glossy image. Yes, he’d liked her—what man wouldn’t? But the desire to have sex with the celebrity hottie hadn’t surged through his veins.
What had changed?
The Jade Weir persona was gorgeous…but unreachable. Two years ago at the station, when she’d let her guard down and become Jaden Marie, her inner beauty had outshone her physical appearance. When she’d showed up at his door with her curvier body and the natural look, he couldn’t help but stare. He longed to run his fingers through the honey-coloured tresses as he kissed her. And those kisses! She had tasted like cola and sin. Intoxicating. What would it feel like to have her astride him, screaming his name as he pumped into her?
Shifting in his seat, he rubbed his groin. The memory of the previous night sucked. Every time he closed his eyes, she smiled at him in a dozen different fantasy scenes. Until he told her how he felt, he’d never sleep. What if the rumours were true? That she’d come to Ohio to escape something other than her lifestyle—like a bad drug buy, or an angry dealer? Shit. Drugs made everything more complicated.
Engaging the engine, he drove into town. Cass had said something about antiquing. Would they be at the thrift store or maybe at the flea market barn by the highway? He’d bet the thrift store, but why would she need to thrift shop if she had money? Unless Jaden really had planned on making it on her own. His admiration for her grew.
The phone call from Mac came to mind. What if she was on the run? From a dealer? She wouldn’t have much ready cash. But what if she had taken money from her father? Nah, she made enough on the bad movies and that ridiculous website to fund three middle class households. Plus she admitted to a small