Read Angel's Halo: Guardian Angel for Free Online

car and slammed the door behind me. “Gracie,” he called after me as he got out and hurried behind me. “Gracie, I didn’t mean it like that. I… Wait. What do you mean you have a second job? What the hell kind of other job could you have gotten while working all day at that damn diner?”
    We were in the house now, in the kitchen. I went straight to the fridge and got a bottle of water, thankful that no one else seemed to be around. The driveway had been empty of any bikes except for Hawk’s, but Raven’s car had been out there so I knew that she and Lexa were either in the living room or upstairs.
    “Jack offered me a job after you left earlier. He said I would be answering the phone, doing office work.” I opened my water and took a long thirsty swallow, trying to swallow the pain that was still making my chest clench. “It’s probably just something he made up on the fly, but he offered me triple what I would make at Aggie’s. As much as I don’t want to be around him, I need the money more. So I start tomorrow.”
    “That’s good. I’m glad. You won’t have to work at Aggie’s, then.” He sounded relieved.
    “No,” I told him as I turned to face him, refusing to meet his gaze directly. I didn’t even know that I touched him in my sleep, damn it. Now that my hands were covered in blisters and would be rough and unattractive, he didn’t want them on him at all. Fine. I would make sure that I stayed on my side of the bed all night long and not touch him ever again.
    “No?” His eyes narrowed and I had to admit that I was starting to hate that look. He was intimidating like that, but I refused to be intimidated.
    “No,” I repeated. “I’ll still be working at Aggie’s. I asked her for the evening shift and she said it was fine. That I’d learned everything faster than almost anyone else helped, and the dinner rush would be a better fit for me.”
    “So you’re going to work all day at the garage, then all evening at Aggie’s too?” he demanded. “You’re going to be exhausted. You’ll kill yourself with that kind of schedule. And what about school? Are you going to work both and still go to classes?”
    “Of course not. I’ll work both until I have enough to get my own place. Then when school starts, I’ll quit one so that I can go to my classes.” I would probably quit the garage. I didn’t care how good the money turned out to be; once I had enough I was getting as far away from Jack Riley as fast as possible.
    Hawk muttered a bunch of curses under his breath, probably thinking that I couldn’t hear him. I rolled my eyes and watched as he scrubbed his big hands up over his face and raked his fingers through his hair. He needed a haircut, I decided. If he was going to find faults in me then I was going to start making a list of his. Maybe then I wouldn’t want him so fudging bad.
    Giving him a quick once-over I took note of the things that I didn’t like about him and started a mental list. Number one: Hair. Too shaggy. Number two: …
    Well, it would take more than a quick glance to find the things I didn’t like about him. I’d add to it later, I promised myself.
    “Why are you so set on moving out?” Hawk asked in a gravelly voice, his forehead furrowed as he studied me, those green eyes trying to pierce into my soul. “Don’t you like it here, Gracie? Has anyone made you feel unwelcome? What? Just tell me and I’ll take care of it. You belong here, sweetheart.”
    I lowered my eyes, not wanting to let him see how much I was affected by what he had just said. I wished so much that it was true, that I did belong there. But I didn’t. “No one has made me feel unwelcome. You’ve all be so nice, so great. I honestly don’t understand how you all can take a complete stranger into your house like you’ve done with me. I’m thankful for it, though. So very thankful.” I bit my lip and forced myself to lift my eyes to meet his. “But I can’t keep living here. I