hell did he need to do to get her to open up to him?
He grimaced. He knew he was good in the sack. There he could persuade Hailey to
give him a chance. But how to get her there? His poor rapport with the opposite sex not
withstanding, he knew he came across as the rough type, less than a gentleman for sure.
But hell, he wasn’t like the twins, his older brothers. Both of them could pass for Romeo,
held doors for women, and knew every which way to compliment them. He, however, did
his best work with his body. His mouth had a tendency to screw up even the easiest of
relationships.
Frowning, he threw on a pair of shorts and grabbed a frozen dinner from the freezer.
After nuking it nearly inedible, he wolfed down the cardboard-tasting meatloaf and gritty
potatoes and decided to make it an early night. He’d worked his ass off today, nearly
finishing the trim work inside their latest project. Derrick would have a hell of a time
criticizing the work he’d accomplished.
Smiling at the thought of finally muting his outspoken brother and business partner,
he lay back in bed and folded his hands behind his head. Studying the ceiling, he idly
noted a few cracks needing repair around the light fixture as again his thoughts lit on
Hailey.
Sighing, he decided to seek help from the sources closest to him, and prayed they’d
help him reach the flesh and blood goddess who’d finally fallen right where he wanted
her.
www.samhainpublishing.com 19
Marie Harte
Chapter Three
“So, I still don’t understand,” Sydney said, swallowing another mouthful of
Zinfandel. Sydney, God bless her, liked to indulge. Wine, chocolates, men. It was a
wonder the woman didn’t weigh four-hundred pounds and have six kids. But she
possessed great genes and had a head when it came to the opposite sex. Unlike Hailey.
“He blackmailed me to go to dinner with him. What’s to understand?”
“Why you didn’t offer to take him to dinner as an apology. He had to blackmail you
into it? Honey, something is definitely wrong with you if you need to be forced to date
