Hard Curves (Dangerous Curves Book 2) by Marysol James Page A

all.
    That was when King came to truly believe that she still saw him now as she had that first day in his garage. He was the guy who couldn’t be openly associated with her organization because of his team-for-hire; he was the guy who ran a garage which fixed bikes belonging to MC creeps and criminals. He was questionable in so many ways, and rough around the edges, and he undoubtedly scared her to death.
    Get out of here. You’ve tried for weeks to get her to see you differently, and you’ve obviously failed miserably. You gave it a shot and you got shut down. Just call it quits, man. She said no.
    “OK, then,” he said quietly. “I’ll go.”
    Naomi watched him leave, barely holding back her tears. As soon as the door shut behind him, she grabbed her cell phone and called Mirrie.
    “Naomi? You OK?”
    “No.” The word came out on a sob. “Oh, God, Mirrie, no. I’m not.”
    “What happened?”
    “I – I kissed Matt. Or he kissed me. I’m not sure. But – but we kissed.”
    Mirrie paused. “OK. And?”
    “And… and I panicked. I told him to stop, and then I told him to never do that again.”
    “How’d he take it?”
    “I don’t know. Fine, I guess. I mean, he stopped and he left.”
    “Where are you right now?”
    “At the Heart Center… the auction starts in two hours, and I have to get ready and get my shit together for that. But I’m a fucking mess.”
    “You want me to come over there?”
    Naomi sucked in a deep breath. “Would you?”
    “Yeah. Give me forty minutes, OK?”
    “Oh, God. Thank you.”
    “No problem. We’ll calm you down, get you all glammed up, get your head in the game, yeah? By the time this shindig gets started, you’ll be fine. Right?”
    “Right.”
    “So you jump in the shower and slip in to that hot dress. And can I do your hair and makeup?”
    Despite herself, Naomi laughed. “You can consult.”
    “Deal. See you soon.”

Chapter Eight
    Naomi glanced around the fundraising auction again, taking it all in. It was, by anyone’s standards, a rousing success. The Heart Center was packed, the pieces were selling for good prices – far higher than she’d anticipated, actually – and the room was buzzing with positive energy. She saw Sarah and Jax talking to Noah, who was excited that his painting was about to go up on the block.
    She took a deep breath as a waiter approached with a tray of wine and offered her a glass. She smiled and murmured her thanks as she declined, then looked around again, casual and unconcerned, just to see if maybe Matt had arrived. Her heart sank when she still saw no sign of him.
    He wouldn’t just bail, would he? No. No way. I mean, no matter how furious he may be at me, he’d never let Callie down… he’ll be here.
    Almost as if she’d conjured him up with her thoughts, the door opened and in he walked. Naomi thanked God that she was all the way across the room and leaning against a wall, because the sight of him knocked the air right out of her all over again.
    The man was wearing a suit, for God’s sake. A damn suit . And if she’d thought that he was sexy in jeans and t-shirts, she wasn’t anything like prepared to see Matt Kingston in fitted dark pants, a crisp white dress shirt unbuttoned to show a tempting little peek of tattooed skin and dark hair, and a tailored jacket. He was all shoulders and chest and arms, and her first coherent thought was to wonder how the hell he’d managed to find a suit to fit that massive, muscular body.
    She watched him accept a glass of wine, then look around. She shrank back a bit, trying to avoid the inevitable moment when they’d have to make eye contact. She was pathetically relieved when Matt saw Jax, Sarah, Noah and Callie, and joined them.
    Naomi’s attention went to the stage now, where Noah’s painting was being set up on the easel. The room gave a collective gasp and Naomi felt a surge of pride. Noah’s talent was going to finally be recognized and she was thrilled for