Compelled (The Secrets of Dragons Book 1) Read Free Page B

from her shoulder to her back. Her hair was long, which he really liked, but the braid that protected the strands from being whipped into a knot on the bike needed to go.
    Alex stood and moved to stand beside her. Her eyes were closed as she kissed Alex and when he grasped the braid, she jumped and sat upright. “What are you doing?” she immediately asked.
    It was interesting that she had invited them into her house and kissed them, but when he touched her, she became nervous. There was no reason for it. He and Eric would do nothing to harm her. Of course Lou didn’t know that yet. “I want to see your hair loose and hanging down around your shoulders. I was just going to take the braid out. Do you have a brush?”
    “Oh. Of course I do. It’s in the bathroom vanity.”
    Without the question being spoken, Eric rose and walked down the hallway. He came back a moment later with the brush in his hand and stood holding it as Alex removed the braid. He carefully took out the upper hair tie, putting it on the table before holding out his hand for the brush.
    The tension that had appeared in the ridged stance of her head and shoulders faded as he ran the bristles through the strands. Starting at the bottom, he worked his way upward, removing the windblown knots as he moved toward the top of her head.
    “I’ve never had a man brush my hair before. It feels really nice.”
    To know she had never enjoyed the simple luxury of a man brushing her hair sent a pang of sadness through him. It was an intimate gesture filled with patience and gentleness. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”
    Eric was smiling at him, obviously amused, but he didn’t really care. Eric knew he had a thing for women’s hair. He liked it natural, silky, and smooth. A woman whose hair was hard with spray or over-processed and course was intolerable and a complete turn off. Lou’s hair was perfect, the light brown strands shimmering with reddish highlights. It flowed into a silky, rippled mass, covering her shoulders and draping down her back. The ends were also split in places and needed to be trimmed. “Would you allow me to trim your hair? It’s really bad at the bottom.”
    “Are you a hairdresser?”
    It was a logical question, if not amusing. “No. I had three younger sisters. Our father went to war when I was nine, and shortly thereafter our mother was diagnosed with early onset macular degeneration. We had very little money, and I was the one who cared for my sisters’ hair. As I got older I got some advice from the barber down the street. He was a really nice older gentleman who taught me how to properly trim hair. He also showed me some tricks for styling it so my sister’s didn’t look like ragamuffins. I got really good at it.”
    “Is your mother still alive?”
    “No. She passed five years ago. My father never came home from the war. One of my sisters was killed in a car crash and the other two live in Boston. I see them occasionally. You said you had no family.”
    “I don’t remember my parents. I guess they were really young and when they decided to give me away, my grandmother didn’t want me to end up an orphan so she adopted me. I lived with her until I went off to college at sixteen. Then came back here to help her when she needed it. I ended up staying because it was better for her. I really miss her.”
    “Did you ever try to find your parents?” asked Eric. “Didn’t your grandmother have an idea where they were?”
    “I asked her a few times, but she said she didn’t know. I guess she was pretty mad at my mother. She said they got into a big fight after I was born. My mother took off with my father and that was it. My grandmother said she never heard from her again. I’ve thought about trying to find her, but she never tried to find me.”
    “Back up a step,” said Alex. “You went to college at sixteen?”
    Lou giggled. It was a truly adorable sound that made him smile every time. “Well, yeah. I was in