Read Beat of the Heart for Free Online Page B

myself smiling. “Okay, then. That sounds nice.”
    “Gotta pen?”
    “Sure.” I reached into my pocket and handed him one. He took the Get Well Soon card from my
    other hand. “What’s your number?” Once I gave it to him, he grinned. “I’ll text you for the directions
    to pick you up, okay?”
    “Okay,” I replied as he handed me back the pen.
    “Mia, I’m glad you finally decided to take me up on my offer.”
    “Me too,” I replied honestly. Of course, I sounded a lot more sure of myself than I felt. Inside, I
    was on a Merry-Go-Round of emotions.
    When AJ leaned closer to me, an intense fire burning in his eyes, I jerked back. He grinned at my
    reaction. “Easy girl. Just a chaste good-bye kiss,” he whispered, his breath fanning over my cheek.
    “Sorry.”
    His warm lips pressed a tender kiss on my cheek, rather than my lips. When he pulled away, he
    winked. “I’ll make sure to ply you with a little alcohol on Friday night to make sure you’re not so
    skittish.”
    Shaking my head, I pushed him playfully. “Whatever.”
    “I’ll be back to see Frank, so maybe I’ll see you before then.”
    “Maybe so.”
    Walking backwards down the hall to Frank’s room, he wiggled his fingers at me. “Bye Mia.”
    Shifting the flowers, I waved back. “Bye AJ.” Once he disappeared back into Frank’s room, I
    exhaled the breath I’d been holding. As I walked into the station, Dee greeted me with a grin that
    stretched from cheek to cheek.
    “Hellz to the yes! Mama Mia’s gettin’ back in the game!” he exclaimed, before doing a little happy
    dance.
    “Yeah, nothing like extreme peer pressure from your bestie along with an overly persistent guy to
    make it happen.”
    “This is going to be epic!” Dee gyrated his hips as he danced over to me. “You need to make an
    appointment for hair and nails ASAP.” His gaze dropped below my waist. “And I’m thinking a bikini
    wax as well. Don’t wanna be welcoming Mr. Latin Lover to the jungle.”
    “You ass!” I cried before smacking his shoulder. My outrage only fueled him on, and two of our
    other shift partners broke into hysterics when he started twerking in front of me.
    “Thanks. I think I need some bleach for my eyes now,” I groaned.
    Slinging an arm around my shoulder, Dee gave my cheek a smacking kiss. “I’m proud of you, baby
    girl. I think this is exactly what you need…and more.”
    “We’ll see about that.”
    “You gotta have faith,” he mused.
    I wagged a finger at him. “So help me God if you start doing a George Michael ass swish in front
    of me like in the Faith video, I’m going to request a transfer for you.”
    He pursed his lips. “Don’t be hatin’ on my mad dancing skills.”
    “Let’s get back to work, shall we?” I prompted before grabbing a chart.

    Friday night found me wine glass in hand, stomach twisted in knots, and pacing back and forth in
    my bedroom. Standing in front of Mama Sofia’s antique mirror, I once again gazed at my reflection.
    Dee, along with my best girlfriend, Shannon, had insisted on taking me shopping at Lennox earlier in
    the day. Everything in my closet that was dressy or sexy had too many Dev memories attached to
    them. I needed a whole new ensemble for my big splash back into the dating world.
    After a few stores and a few close calls, we’d finally found something we all could agree on.
    Well, sort of. Although they’d insisted the dress was to die for and I was going to take AJ’s breath
    away, I was still unsure, as I turned left and right in front of the mirror. Red had always been my
    color, and tonight’s tight little number was ruby red with tiny spaghetti straps that made a
    crisscrossing pattern across my lower back. While I thought I should have gone up a size, Dee
    insisted that it hugged my body to the point it was like a second skin. “Trust me, baby girl. Latino men
    love a woman with curves.”
    I took his word for it and bought the dress along with some killer