“On it.” She glanced behind Leya. “Damn girl, I love that coat of yours. When are you going to sell it to me?”
Leya leaned back against her pirate-style vintage. It was a thrift store find, and she loved it. Jan had been after the coat for a while. “Okay, as my good deed for today, you can borrow it for the weekend.”
“I have a better idea. Let me keep it for a week, and you can take whatever books you can carry from this store. All on me.”
Leya narrowed her eyes. With money tight, an offer like this came…uh, never. She wanted to gift wrap her much loved coat and hand it over. Instead, she faked a long-drawn sigh. “I don’t know…”
“Oh, c’mon, Ley.”
“Fine. You know, I could haul out a tall pile, but I’ll settle for two now and two at a later date. There’s this fae series I heard about. Apparently, the hero’s to die for.”
Grinning like she’d won the pirate’s trove, Jan put the tray down and shrugged on the vintage coat. It fell just past mid-thigh and looked really good on her long, lean body.
“Who am I to deny you your love affair with paperback guys?” She smoothed her palms down the coat. “Go, knock yourself out.”
The shop door opened, more customers entered, and Tori flowed in with the crowd. Spying them at the back, she stalked over, her cheeks flushed, gold eyes resembling flames of Hell.
She dropped on her seat like a sack of grain, tunneling both hands through her jaw-length fiery red hair.
“What happened?” Leya and Jan asked simultaneously.
Her friend’s frustrated expression morphed into weariness. “I’m so damn tired of all Wayne’s bullshitting and lies, his refusal to take no for an answer, and worse, thinking we’re still a damn couple after I caught him screwing his side piece. From now on, it’s only book boyfriends for me!”
“May they all get dick rashes by morning,” Jan said, backing up Tori, who managed a wan smile. “Let me go get your coffee, Ley.” She snagged the tray and glided off.
“Why say that? I mean, about book boyfriends?” Leya asked, knowing it was one way guaranteed to get her friend’s feisty nature back on track. “Not all men are total bad eggs.”
“Did you not read P&P, Leyathi?” Tori demanded, leaning forward.
Leya pulled out a worn copy from her tote at her feet and held it up.
“Then do you not see how sincere, faithful, and loyal Mr. Darcy is?” Her eyes glowered. “Well, after he gets off his high horse and stops being a dick? Heck, I’d be happy if I get even a smidgen of him in any man. But of course, I always, always manage to land the worst of the lot.”
Nothing Leya said would change the truth, so she set her book down and patted her friend’s arm in sympathy.
Janelle returned with her coffee. “He’s not worth another thought, Tori. Here.” She pushed the to-go cup to Leya. “And don’t forget this. You’re not Supergirl, who can walk out into this chilly night.” She draped her expensive leather jacket over the backrest of Leya’s chair.
“You know what?” Tori glowered at them. “I’m done with relationships. I’m just gonna hook up from now on, bang his brains out, then get the hell out of there.”
Leya laughed, picking up her worn paperback. “I hear you, Tor. Perhaps it’s what we girls should do. Find a man, do the hot and dirty, then hit the road.” She fished under her chair for her tote. “Well, I wish I could stay and dissect men with you, but I have to get going—”
“Whoa,” Tori cut her off. “One night withhim, heck, I’ll go for reality this once, just to get my rocks off.”
“Dayum,” Jan whispered, then she beelined for the front.
What? Leya looked up from putting the classic away, and her gaze stopped on the guy at the counter. Holy crapballs!
Seemed the stars had aligned tonight, sliding the man into the coffeehouse to give their weary souls a glimpse of Heaven. The guy literally glowed like some celestial being—
She blinked. No, not shining. She must have imagined a light surrounding him since her friend didn’t remark on it and continued to drool.
A little young, perhaps, but Leya couldn’t be sure. With a face like that, all angles and planes as if he were borne of some divine Being, yeah, he could be either her age or centuries old. She snorted at the implausible thoughts.
Nothing about the rest of him appeared angelic. Dressed in black jeans and boots, his unfastened leather jacket revealed a gray tee painted to his muscled torso. The guy exuded sex appeal and was jaw-dropping hot.
He scratched his head, then yanked off his beanie as if it irritated him, and his hair fell in a tangled disarray to his shoulders.
A silkenbluedisarray.
