Free Into The Fire (Gorgeous Entourage #1) by E. L. Todd

looked soft but also a little
coarse. It had a slight curl at the end and I wondered how it would
feel in my fingertips. I wondered how many other women had the same
thought.
    Probably a thousand.
    He was stubborn and bossy at times, and if he
didn’t get his way, he would throw a tantrum. When he demanded to
walk me home, I knew I would never win the argument. He truly
seemed harmless. I couldn’t picture him stalking me somewhere down
the road. He had too many other options, and he was against
commitment so chasing me down was unlikely to ever happen. But I
was still on my guard.
    I would always be on my guard.
    Of course, he got his way. But that was only
because I let him. If I were truly threatened by him, I wouldn’t
have slept in his apartment with only a thin slab of wood
separating us. If anything, he would be the guy who protected me,
not harassed me.
    The fact he had such an interesting life made
me more drawn to him. He did three tours in Afghanistan and was
overseas for fifteen months. I couldn’t even imagine having that
kind of experience. He saw so many terrible things I couldn’t even
dream of, but he was still upbeat and friendly. His parents were
terrible to him, but he had nothing but nice things to say about
them. Sometimes he was a complete paradox.
    But I couldn’t stop thinking about him.
    Hearing him play his guitar and sing so
confidently was a turn on, I’ll admit that. His fingers moved
across the strings with ease, and his voice never shook like he was
nervous. He was comfortable in his own skin, probably because he
understood just how beautiful he was.
    Everyone knew how beautiful he was.
    It’s funny to think I was irritated with him
when we first met. He talked too much, primarily about himself. And
he just didn’t know when to shut up. But his annoyances were
balanced out by his thoughtfulness. And when he complimented my
appearance, I didn’t hate it. I loved it, actually.
    I was at work when Shelly took a phone call.
“Yes, she’s right here. Let me put you on hold.” She put the phone
on the receiver. “That hunky man is trying to call you.”
    “Thanks.” It was probably for the dinner with
his parents that weekend. “Hello?”
    “Can’t stop thinking about me, huh?” His
cockiness had returned in full force.
    “You called me, idiot.”
    “But I bet you were thinking about me.”
    “Actually, I was.”
    “See?”
    “I was thinking how I wish I had this weekend
off instead of going to dinner with you.” That was totally bogus
but he didn’t need to know that.
    “You think I’m going to buy that crap?” he
asked. “You conveniently lost your keys so you could sleep over?
You think girls haven’t pulled that number on me before?”
    “What?” I said defensively. “I didn’t—”
    “Kidding.” He chuckled. “Chill, baby.”
    “You chill.” My heart was beating fast
because I assumed he really thought I was that desperate for his
attention.
    He chuckled again. “Someone’s wound tight
today…”
    “I wasn’t until you called.”
    “Ouch.” He said it in an amused way. “So, are
we still on for Saturday?”
    “You tell me.”
    “Dinner is at seven. Can I actually pick you
up this time? Or do you still think I’m crazy?”
    “I do think you’re crazy. But you can pick me
up.”
    “Good. I felt like a chick when you picked me
up last time.”
    “Well, you’re paying me for a service and I’m
delivering.”
    “That’s the part of the service I don’t
need.”
    “Do you want me to bring something? Make
something?”
    “Make something?” he asked. “Can you
cook?”
    “Yes.” Why was it surprising? All people
could cook.
    “Hmm…what kind of things can you cook?”
    “A lot of different things.”
    “Well, my mom is super picky so let’s go
through a test run. Come over here and cook me dinner and—”
    “Only if you pay me.”
    “Ooh…someone knows how to play hardball.”
    “Naturally.”
    “Well, you can’t blame a guy