Davenport Harbor (Six Degrees Book 3) Read Free

herself and the way she winced as she moved or took a breath. When have I ever noticed so many details about a complete stranger?
    No. I wouldn't let my mind go there. My past had too many demons locked up tight and today I couldn't go there.
    Not tonight.
    Not any night that I couldn't drown myself in a bottle of scotch.
    I shook my head as I tried to fit the flat tire into the trunk and realized she had quite a few belongings. Then I remembered I ’ d gone to the store with Sabrina once about three months ago, surprised her trunk was filled with so much baby shit it looked like a fucking Target had exploded inside. Trying to act like I didn't care, I finished loading the tire and looked at her as I closed the trunk.
    “ All changed, ” I announced, trying not to look at her but I couldn't resist. Her eyes were so big and so filled with …
    Don ’ t go there, Johnny Boy.
    I was not going to give a shit why her eyes were filled with tears. I was NOT that guy. I was not a knight in shining armor. I was the furthest thing from that. I was the guy who, if he needed companionship, he paid one of Belle ’ s girls: high-class escorts he could have an understanding with. I wasn't made for relationships and love and all the damn drama that came along with it.
    “ Thanks, ” she said softly, then, for what felt like a moment where time stood still, my heart froze when her eyes met mine. They were endless pools in the darkness, rich and decadent chocolate I could imagine myself drowning in, and fuck if I cared about coming up for air. My mouth went slightly dry at the beauty standing in front of me. My skin tightened and my body grew warmer; something about her made my body feel …
    Shake it off man, my mind whispered.
    “ You ’ re welcome. Now if you'll excuse me. I have to get going. I ’ m sure you know how to get out of here? ” My voice came off cold and uncaring. God, I can be an asshole.
    “ Yeah, sorry about the trouble, ” she said, sounding sincere and a little lost, as if she were not really talking to me. Watching her, I rolled my shoulders and willed myself to head back to my warm car.
    For some reason, as I drove to the top of my hill, uneasiness settled in the pit of my stomach. Not my problem, shake it off .
    Anne
    I watched as he drove off. My hands shook slightly so I tried to take a deep breath to ease the pain. It didn’t help, my insides still burned and my headache seemed to be getting worse. Now what? I couldn't head back to my apartment. I had a small amount of money set aside, and thankfully it was in one of the few bags I ’ d been able to grab and throw into the car. A motel would work, but it was too expensive and I wasn’t going to be able to return to the small diner off of Figueroa where Mrs. Garcia, my manager, had let me have a playpen for my angel to rest in while I worked.
    Panic hit, overwhelming me completely. I tried to breathe again, tried to tell myself that I could do this, that we’d be able to get through this and anything else that life threw at us, but it was impossible to believe.
    I turned and reached for the passenger door to check on Zoey, but my head spun suddenly and everything went black.
    John
    "Mike, I know. I'm sorry. Okay. Next week then. Sure, drop them off at my house, that ’ ll work better. Okay. Tell Sabrina I'm sorry again, okay? I just had to help that girl with the flat tire," I told him.
    Great, now I had four kids coming to my place next week.
    Thankfully, Sabrina's parents were visiting and when they’d heard I was running late, they happily volunteered to take over babysitting duties for the night. I mentally noted to send a token of gratitude to them tomorrow. My stomach was growling, and having no energy to cook, I decided to head out to buy take-out. Maybe stop at Shine for some company. It ’ d been a week. Getting laid would help.
    As I drove back down the hill, I frowned.
    Her car was still there.
    Sighing, I parked, leaving my car running.