Free Battered Not Broken by Ranae Rose

things I want to do – even stupid things I want to say. I could use a lady with a makeshift weapon and a dose of maternal instinct to keep me from spoiling our perfect first date.”
    “Perfect?” Ally asked, suppressing a bubble of laughter that was born half of nervousness and half of happy surprise.
    “What, you didn’t have a good time?” His full lips split into a grin that caught her off guard.
    “I had a great time.”
    “I thought so. You don’t seem like the kind of woman who’d agree to a second date if you didn’t.”
    “What do you mean?” Did she come off as cold, judgmental even? She’d sometimes suspected that she might, especially when men were involved.
    “I mean I heard you crush Cameron when he asked you to fill in as a ring girl. You don’t have a problem saying no, do you?”
    “I never used to think so.”
    “Used to?” He raised a brow.
    “Never mind.” There was no way she could explain to him just how many of her own rules she’d willingly broken that night. The wine, the kiss … hell, the date in the first place. And she’d enjoyed every minute of it. Her panties were faintly damp and even as she prepared to say goodnight to Ryan, she was looking forward to seeing him the following evening.
    “All right. Your mother is approaching with that spoon, anyway.”
    Ally turned to see her mother standing in the exact same place and position as before. When she faced Ryan again, he was grinning blatantly.
    “I wouldn’t want to send you home with any bruises,” she teased. “Good night.”
     Riding a wild impulse, she leaned forward and brushed his jaw with her lips. She’d seen his reflexes in action and knew he could easily have dodged her kiss if he’d wanted to. Instead, he was utterly still. She lingered for a moment, reveling in the hard line of his jaw and the rasp of the faint stubble that had cropped up there. “That’s for rescuing Melissa,” she said.
    “I was beginning to think I’d never get my due.” He shook his head in mock disappointment. “All I got from her was a thank you. No kiss.”
    “That,” Ally said, reaching for the door handle, “is because she’s a good friend.”
    Suppressing a sigh of regret, she stepped out of the car and into the cool night.
     
* * * * *
 
    “Hey, Inés.” Ally settled a little more deeply into her chair behind her workstation, preparing for a long session. Or at least, it would seem that way.
    A slender twenty-something woman with wide-set dark eyes and a familiar mop of black curls settled into the seat opposite of her. “Alexandra.” She called Ally by her full first name, as usual. She’d never been one to miss an opportunity to stand out, even in the smallest of ways. She wasn’t big on accommodating other people’s wishes for their sake, either.
    Unfortunately, she was big on getting her nails done. Every Friday – to get ready for dates she sometimes told Ally about in mind-numbing detail.
    Inés slapped a hand down onto the table with a dramatic flick of her wrist.
    Instead of looking down, Ally reached for a bottle of Inés’ signature shade of red.
    When she turned back around, Inés was sitting ram-rod straight, wearing an expression that could only be described as a smirk.
    Ally dropped her gaze – thankfully, her work gave her an excuse not to make eye contact with Inés.
    Something was different. Namely, a huge rock that sat perched on Inés’ left ring finger like a glittering boulder. “You got engaged?” Ally said, knowing she’d hear about it whether she asked or not. “To who?”
    “To your brother.”
    The smug satisfaction in Inés’ voice hit Ally like a freight train. Her stomach twisted, then knotted. With a supreme effort, she managed to keep her voice even. “You’ve been seeing Manny?”
    “For ages,” Inés said, waving her right hand while being careful to keep her left hand still so that her ring was displayed to maximum effect. “We’re getting married this