Read Quick Fix for Free Online

think he’s also a little bent at the thought of losing your undivided adulation. Could be he’s considering making your fondest wish come true.”
    “Don’t be ridiculous.”
    “I’m not.” He took my hand and pulled me to him, resting his chin on my head. “Look, cuz, if you want me to back off, give you some time to figure things out with the spook, just tell me.”
    I leaned into him, confused as hell. Billy drove me crazy, but he could be so understanding sometimes. He was the best friend I had. Did I want to risk losing that because of a sudden freakish attraction to him?
    “Maybe that would be a good idea…” I started.
    He pushed me away but held on to my shoulders, looking positively incredulous. “ What? How can you say that?”
    “But you said—”
    “Don’t be silly. I didn’t mean it.”
    “Then why’d you say it?”
    “I thought it would make me appear noble.”
    I pulled away from him, exasperated. “Only when it’s sincere, you idiot.”
    “I can do sincere.” He set his mouth in soft lines and hit me with the Doyle eyes. Yep, he had sincere down pat.
    “It’s not sincere just because you make your ‘sincere’ face. You have to honestly mean it.” I tapped my foot while he considered. “Well?”
    He shrugged and blasted me with the smile he used to use on his mother to get his curfew extended when we were teenagers. “Come on. Have you ever known me to give up on anything that easily?”
    He reached for me again, but I evaded his arms. If I’d learned anything about myself recently, it was that I didn’t think clearly when Billy was touching me.
    “Is this some sort of game to you?” I said after I’d put adequate distance between us. “If you’re doing this because maybe Mark is starting to pay attention to me—”
    “Don’t be stupid.”
    “You have to admit the timing is suspect.”
    His mouth twitched, and a dimple grew. “Well, it’s possible the spook’s sudden interest in you spurred me to move a little faster than I might have otherwise, but the underlying emotion has always been there. I want you, Ciel. It’s as simple as that.”
    “Why?”
    “Why?” He sounded confused, like the question had never occurred to him.
    “Yeah—why? Seems like you have the perfect lifestyle for someone of your many—and varied—interests. Models and aspiring actresses out the wazoo. Why give that up? Unless you think you can just add me to the bunch?”
    The other dimple appeared. “You’d be my favorite.”
    “Grrrr!” I marched to the kitchen. I needed ice cream.
    Billy followed, trying not to laugh. He caught me before I could open the freezer and turned me to face him, corralling me against the fridge with his arms. “Come on. Where’s your sense of humor? All I want is you.” He cocked his head, and with one finger sketched a line from my earlobe down my neck, dipping lightly into the hollow of my collarbone. There was a kiss on his lips just waiting to ambush me.
    “No,” I said, to convince myself as much as him. “I need to think about this more.”
    “Okay. While you’re thinking, there’s another matter we can take care of.”
    “What?” I said, leery of the determined gleam in his eye.
    “Certain damage to my car, and what you owe me for it.”
    I swallowed, feeling my eyes widen. “But that wasn’t my fault. You were there. You know that.”
    “Doesn’t matter. You were behind the wheel.”
    “That is beside the point!”
    “A deal is a deal. The driver is always responsible. You know what that means.”
    I ducked under his arm. “A busted headlight is hardly a wreck.”
    He caught me and pulled me against him. “It is to me. Now,” he said, his lips alarmingly close to my ear, “knickers up or knickers down? I know which I’d prefer.”
    I pushed against his chest. “Billy, listen to me—”
    He kissed my neck. “Up or down?” he said. I thought he might be stifling a laugh, but it was hard to be sure.
    Geez. I had made a rash