Wounded Angel (The Earth Angels) Read Online Free PDF Page B

the amount of charm he was shooting her way, she supposed she should be thankful she didn’t fall at his feet. “And as a professional, I’m calling it quits for today.”
    “When do you want to meet next?”
    “It’ll take your body a while to recover from today—”
    “No, it won’t. Is tomorrow good for you?”
    Reluctantly her gaze slid back to him in the feeble excuse of assessing his condition. Instead of doing a wilted-flower impersonation, he looked like a warrior-general eager to conquer an invading army. Sweat sheened his shoulders and hair-darkened chest she could see exposed by the tank, and his dark eyes seemed to touch her everywhere at once. With everything in her she tried not to thrill at the sensation.
    Tried, and failed.
    “Unfortunately I’m booked tomorrow. But I’m available the day after.”
    Those eyes smoldered. “I’m all yours, Ella.”
    Promises , promises . She turned away before she could make a complete fool of herself by blurting out the impulsive words, and her mood nosedived when she found Jacob and Phoebe still hovering. She nodded in the direction of the offices and was pleased when they both backed off. “Email me the times when you’re available.”
    * * *
    Phoebe’s office reflected her personality to a T. One full wall was comprised of the smoked glass that looked out onto the gym’s vast reception area. Facing the glass wall was a desk that held every modern piece of technology known to man. On the wall behind it were pennants of the Chicago Cubs ranging back all the way to 1945, the year that Phoebe spoke of in hushed tones as the year of “the Curse.” Ella still wasn’t sure what that was but knowing Phoebe, she’d eventually have a pop quiz on it.
    But worrying about pop quizzes on a sport in which she had no interest was the least of her worries at the moment. This mother-henning had to stop.
    “Okay, let’s talk.” Determined to be calm, Ella did her best to leech the irritation out of her tone as the office door shut behind them. “Did you all enjoy the show?”
    “I think I could take him.” Bristly head held high and hands folded behind his back, Jacob surveyed the room with eyes that were threatening to bulge. “Maybe. What do you think, Phoebe? I could take him, yes?”
    Phoebe see-sawed her hand. “If you snuck up on him and had a handy baseball bat nearby, sure.”
    “Holy freaking crap.” Ella looked from one to the other as the outrage built. “Do you realize you’re talking about ambushing a paying customer? A paying customer who’s done nothing wrong, I might add. What have you two been smoking?”
    “Paying customer or not, this is our home. It’s always a good idea to know who’s wandered into our house.” Phoebe didn’t appear to be at all fazed at the violent turn in their conversation. “You were right when you called him a man-mountain, Jacob. I thought you might have been exaggerating, but I’m glad you brought him to my attention. She might as well try and take on a giant.”
    Lovely. Now they were talking about her behind her back. “That’s why you came in so early this morning,” she muttered, shooting a dark glance at Jacob. “You had Phoebe look at when I had Nate scheduled, didn’t you?”
    “Of course I did,” came the unrepentant reply. “He’s a huge, unknown man in top physical shape. I would struggle with him, Ella. I might even lose to him without some advantage. You would stand no chance against such an opponent.”
    “Then I guess it’s a lucky thing he’s my client and not my opponent, isn’t it?”
    “From now on you’ll schedule this Nate da Luca guy when both Jacob and I are on duty, so that we can keep an eye on things,” Phoebe added, ignoring her as she moved to take her official position behind her desk. “He seemed nice enough and I liked his smile—kind of like a little kid that’s up to no good. But don’t forget that looks can be deceiving. If he ever gets it into his head to