Wild Hyacinthe (Crimson Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page B

left, right and center thanks to you.”
    “How are you losing money? You just fed me for a family of ten.”
    “But now you’re done, and you’re still here, taking up my whole section and asking me for fucking coffee when I’m working.”
    I raised my eyebrows at that. “I thought the breakfast was a first course. I mean, I don’t have to stay for the rest . . . but since you’re so skilled at selecting food, I thought I might stick around for dinner.” I didn’t need to feign my offense. No one dismissed me. No one. Ever.
    Except Gypsy
, I supposed in the back of my mind.
    Aria’s glare softened and she sighed, retreating to the kitchen. When she returned, she set a coffee pot on the table and sank into the chair across from me. “I have twenty minutes,” she said.
    “Good, that’s perfect.” I flipped her coffee mug over and filled it to the brim with steaming black.
    We sat in silence, sipping coffee. I began to question my rationale. Why was I having coffee with this waitress? It would be smarter to ignore her so she would live longer and I could stare at her every day until she inevitably found a new job and moved on. If I were planning to sleep with her and end her life, it was stupid to entertain her company in public like this. More work for Gypsy.
    “So, you like to run a lot,” I said.
    Aria straightened and glared at me. “What, are you stalking me now?”
    I chuckled and shook my head. “No, sweetie, if I were stalking you, I would be watching you right now from a distance and you would never know I was there. I might even pay one of my very loyal security agents to check your background and alert me of your medical history, but I’m not
that
psychotic. Close, but not quite. I live in the suite above my gym on Third Street.” I gestured to the east. “My balcony overlooks this block and I watched you leave last night.”
    “Oh. Yes, I like to run.”
    “Well, then,” I continued, frowning at my own intentions, “you know where to find me. If you feel like blowing off steam, my gym only takes on a few clients. Private training. You look like you work out. I’m happy to clear a place for you in my schedule.”
    She smirked at me. “Do I look like I can afford private personal training?” she said, her smirk melting to a genuine, sad smile.
    “No, you don’t. But the offer stands, regardless.”
    “So, what, you train me and send me a bill I can never pay? Not likely.”
    “Or,” I held up a finger and cracked a grin, mimicking our exchange on the night we met, “and this is just a thought . . . I train you and you pay me with your company. I don’t indulge in friendships. It would be a nice change of pace.”
    “Do I look like a fucking hooker to you?”
    “Well, you don’t look like a cheap escort, if that’s what you mean, but I haven’t suggested anything sexual in the least. I’m offering you training in exchange for . . . your company.”
    “My company?”
    “Your company. Friendship. Movies. walks.”
    “Sounds more like dating than friendship.”
    “Call it what you like. I enjoy your company and I’d like to get to know you better. Non-sexual, non-committal. Just . . . hanging out and working out.”
    I was surprised to realize how excited I was at the prospect of spending time with Aria without anticipating her murder.
    She glanced around, as if looking for some divine guidance. “You expect me to believe that Asher Chain, Forbes list Asher Chain, wants to
hang out
with me?”
    Forbes?
Oh yeah, of course.
I silently vowed to ask Gypsy my net worth. “Sure, why not?”
    Aria frowned. Her brow creased with concern. I leaned forward and traced the crease between her eyebrows, willing her to relax her face at my touch. It worked. She met my eyes and was spelled for a moment, the classic effect of the incubus affecting her judgment. Her grim mouth softened into something warmer and anticipant.
    “Alright, I suppose,” she muttered, perplexed.
    My heart lit up