Secret Curves (Dangerous Curves Book 5) Read Free

“He’s OK, I promise you. Just a bit rough around the edges.”
    At that exact moment, Curtis would have killed on the spot for just a tiny bit of Aidan’s natural charm. By this, Curtis meant that he’d have killed Aidan on the spot for charming Tessa this way. How did Aidan do it, anyway? How did he always know just what to say and do with women? It was incredibly fucking annoying.
    “Uh-huh,” she said, still a bit taken aback.
    “But when trouble starts, there’s nobody better,” Aidan said. “You just step back, leave it to Curtis. He won’t let anyone so much as touch you if he can help it, but if someone makes a move, he’ll make sure it’s the last thing they do before kissing the ground outside and picking up their teeth.”
    She’d smiled at Curtis then, and his stomach had tightened up at the sight. What a fucking gorgeous smile – so bright and open. Real. Yeah, Tessa Mahoney was the real deal, and he was screwed. No way she’d ever go for a rough, foul-mouthed ass-kicker like him, but she was all he wanted now.
    “Never had my own bodyguard before,” she said.
    He’d stared down at her incredible body, and thought that he wanted nothing more than to keep every inch of her in his sights, at all times. If he could just watch her move, keep her safe and secure, he’d never even need to touch her. Just knowing that she was out in the world smiling that smile was enough; just knowing that she’d walk in to his life once in a while, and bring it some light was everything.
    “At your service,” he said gruffly, taking a small stab at charm. “You need me, I’m here.”
    Tessa nodded, turned, and picked up her serving tray. With a final smile at both men, she’d headed over to one of her tables. The semi-drunk men had watched her approach with clear interest, and Curtis narrowed his eyes as she chatted and laughed with the customers. It made him weirdly jealous to see other men flirting with Tessa, and seeing her lightly flirting back. But that was the deal at Curves, and Curtis knew it: the ladies serving up the alcohol had to keep the clients happy and relaxed, and flirtatious conversation was a big part of that.
    “She’s cute, huh?” Aidan commented.
    Curtis grunted.
    “Yeah, I know you think so.” Aidan shook his scruffy blond head. “Christ, man, you actually smiled at her. It was terrifying to behold, but it was also kinda nice to see. I had no idea you even could smile.”
    “Shut it, Carter.” Curtis had stalked away again, his glower firmly fixed back in place.
    And that was it. That was how it had been for over a year since Tessa had come to work at Curves. She’d shown up and sparkled and shone, and Curtis had stood with his massive arms crossed and a scowl on his hard face, watching her. Keeping her safe.
    Over the course of that year, and against all the odds – the odds being Curtis himself – they’d become friends. It was inevitable, really, since Tessa’s humor and kindness had just demolished every single one of Curtis’ defenses. It was a sweetness offensive, and he was pathetically helpless in the face of it. He didn’t even want to resist it, and that was the most baffling part of it all.
    The truth was, though, that he’d totally given in to her about three months after she started working at Curves. It was his birthday coming up, and the other staff had been threatening to buy him a few shots on the big day. Curtis had been his usual silent self on the whole damn subject. He didn’t celebrate his birthday and he never had, and he saw no real reason to start now. If the guys and the ladies wanted to throw a few shots his way, he’d take them, he supposed. But that was hardly a celebration, and that was just fine with him.
    He should have known that Tessa would have other ideas.
    She showed up that night with a homemade cake, complete with a candle and his name written in icing on the pale yellow frosting. She gave it to him in the staffroom when they were