Tough Luck Hero Read Online Free PDF Page B

say that, Lydia, but I have a feeling you would actually pay me good money to stay off the pole.”
    â€œTrue,” she said, gripping her purse tightly, as though it might shield her from yet more embarrassment. Plus, focusing on clinging to that specific item helped keep her brain busy so it didn’t do anything stupid like imagine how Colton might look if he were to engage in any sort of striptease.
    Nope. No.
    She might not be able to remember last night, but her memories of him shirtless in the hotel room were still way too vivid for comfort.
    He was...he was everything a man should be. Broad-shouldered and lean. A chest and stomach so defined he looked like he belonged on the cover of a men’s magazine, making other men feel insecure about their lack of abs.
    Except, in order to be on a men’s magazine he would have to be waxed bare. And Colton was not.
    She swallowed hard, her throat dry. She did not need to be pondering his chest hair. Or his muscles. Or anything at all except the predicament they were in.
    The drive to the airport seemed interminable. She could only hope they would be able to get seats far, far away from each other on the plane.
    Of course, that turned out not to be the case. When they arrived at the airport check-in the very helpful, very friendly man at the counter offered them a free ticket exchange, and a bump up to first class. For the newlyweds, he’d said, overly cheerful.
    Why was it that today of all days they were experiencing the height of customer service everywhere they went?
    She was so accustomed to people not giving a damn, and in this situation she would have preferred it.
    But no. Everyone was doing their best to make sure that Colton and Lydia got to spend as much time together as possible.
    Still, she thought ruefully, as they sat on the small plane waiting to take off and the stewardess poured champagne into a real glass, it could be worse. She lifted the bubbly to her lips, needing a little bit of a crutch to boost her for the journey.
    â€œYour attempt at a hangover cure?” Colton asked, nodding toward her glass.
    â€œAt this point there’s no making it worse, really.” Her head still hurt, in spite of the coffee.
    â€œDon’t drink too much,” he said.
    â€œYou’re not the boss of me,” she muttered.
    â€œNo, but when you start drinking you find it difficult to keep your hands off me.”
    She scrunched her face. “Colton, me being a little bit buzzed is the only way we’re going to make it through this flight without me doing you serious bodily harm.”
    â€œSo you’re saying there’s a happy alcohol medium you’re reaching for?”
    â€œYes. Totally sober I would like to strangle you. Completely trashed I apparently...” She let that sentence die as her face heated. “But a glass of champagne or two might just take the edge off.”
    â€œThe edge ? Because I’m so horrible.”
    â€œYou aren’t horrible.” She looked down at her glass. “You’re...you know...well, you’re you.”
    â€œThat’s very informative, Lydia.”
    She gritted her teeth. “You’re high-handed. A bit bossy.”
    He laughed. “That’s funny coming from you.”
    â€œI already know I don’t want to know why you think that’s funny,” she bit out, determined to ignore him now.
    Thankfully, the flight from Las Vegas back up to Portland wasn’t terribly long, and she busied herself answering texts thanks to the onboard Wi-Fi. Though she wasn’t entirely certain answering those texts was any less uncomfortable than making conversation with her groom.
    Because people wanted explanations. And in all honesty, she couldn’t give them one. She didn’t have an explanation.
    She breathed a sigh of relief when the plane touched down, but that was short-lived when she fully realized that they now had to make their way back to