Temptation Trails (The Haven Brothers #3)

I shook her outstretched hand. “Nice to meet you, too.”

“Come on back and we can talk about your hair.”

She gestured to a chair and I took a seat, then pulled out my low ponytail.

“The ends are so dry. I like the length overall, but it needs a trim.”

She ran her fingers through my hair, then held a section between two fingers and inspected the ends. “If you’re comfortable with it, I can take off about two inches and make you feel like a new woman.”

“That sounds great.”

She took me to the washing station and I relaxed while she washed and conditioned my hair. The scalp massage she gave me was worth whatever the haircut was going to cost. When she finished, she wrapped my hair in a towel and took me back to her station.

She got started combing out my hair. “I don’t know if you remember, but you did my wedding cake.”

My eyes widened in recognition. “I do remember. That was the day I first got into town.”

“We thought we might be without a cake until you arrived. And it was delicious, by the way.”

“Thank you so much. I’m glad I was able to get it to your reception on time. Sorry about that.”

“Oh goodness, no need to apologize.” She set the comb down, picked up her scissors, and started cutting. “How’s your aunt doing? I heard she’s had some health problems.”

“She’s doing quite a bit better now that she’s not working such long days.”

“I’m so glad to hear that.”

“Congratulations on your wedding, by the way.” I paused, putting the pieces together. “Wait, you’re married to a Haven, aren’t you?”

Her smile lit up her whole face. “Zachary.”

I almost blurted out, what a coincidence, I just slept with his brother! Fortunately, I stopped myself. “He’s Garrett’s brother?”

“He is,” she said, her tone lifting, as if to say, go on.

“I kind of went out with him the other night.”

She gasped, her eyes widening. “You’re kidding!”

“No. Why?”

“Sorry, I’m just surprised. Last I heard, he stood you up and then stubbornly insisted he’s not interested in dating. This is a lovely turn of events.”

“Thanks. We had a good time, so, um, hopefully…”

She raised her eyebrows, the corners of her mouth lifting.

“You know how it is when things are new, right? I haven’t lived in Tilikum very long, and I’ve had a string of bad luck in relationships. Actually I’ve had a string of bad luck in general, so it’s a little scary to get hopeful about something like this.”

“I completely understand.”

“And I’m not usually one to let temptation take over, but he stopped by yesterday, kind of randomly, and let’s just say things got a lot hotter than I expected. I’m talking, up against the wall hot. Marigold, I didn’t even know that move was real. It was incredible. I’m talking the best orgasm I’ve ever had.” I stopped, my eyes widening. “Why am I telling you all this? I’m so sorry, we just met, this is so inappropriate, I need to stop talking and I can’t seem to.”

She put down her scissors and squeezed the sides of my shoulders. “Don’t be sorry. This happens all the time. I promise, it’s all safe with me. What’s said in the sacred chair of hair, stays in the sacred chair of hair.”

“You’re just very nice and so pretty, it makes me want to trust you.”

“You can trust me.” She squeezed my arms again, then went back to my hair. “You can trust Garrett, too, by the way. He’s a really good guy. And I’m not just saying that because he’s my brother-in-law. He helped save my life once.”