Paying the Piper by Rachel Brimble

Author:Rachel Brimble [Brimble, Rachel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, contemporary, 978-1-61650-316-1
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Grace paused with her hand on the door to the soup kitchen as a fluttering started in her stomach—was she nervous or excited? She blew out a breath through pursed lips. The lives of the kids there were far removed from her own, the problems that existed behind the door infinitely worse. But Grace felt glad to be there, glad to be somewhere she might be able to do something to help. At home, with her own life, she had no idea what the hell to do next.

She opened the door and was hit full force by a roar of sexist cat-calls and whistles from the assembly line of testosterone standing in front of her. Yet, Grace being Grace, managed to hold her ground and didn’t as much as flinch.

“Wow, it’s not every day a girl is greeted with such enthusiasm,” she said, putting her hands on her hips and feigning complete nonchalance less risking the idiots realizing they’d given her a near heart attack.

Billy stepped forward, clearly the ringleader in the orchestrated reception. “Miss Butler. Grace.” He grinned and tipped her a wink. “Welcome back.”

With a dip of her head, she took his offered hand. “Billy. How nice to see you again.”

“You too, sweetheart, you too.”

The cocky tone of his voice and the way he ran his gaze appreciatively up and down the length of her body was a step too far. So on impulse, Grace decided to teach the young whipper snapper a lesson. Instead of letting go of his hand, she yanked him forward and crushed her lips to his. His jeering cronies simultaneously fell into shocked silence.

After a long, long, long moment, Grace released him and stepped back to enjoy the view.

Billy stood stock still. Completely frozen with his lips still puckered in a fetching mirror image of a man-boy with his mouth mashed up against a window. He looked absolutely adorable. With her suppressed laughter vibrating around her small intestine, Grace blew out a loud and satisfied sigh.

“There. That’s the proper way to greet a girl. Now then…is Jimmy around?”

“I’m right here.”

She spun around so quickly she heard an indignant crick at the side of her neck. “Oh. Jimmy. Hi.”

He arched an eyebrow and strolled toward her. He looked from her to a still static Billy and back again. With his possessive gaze locked on hers, he flicked Billy up the back of the head.

“Wake up, numb nuts.”

Billy drew in great lungful of air before gasping, “You…you….kissed me.”

Grace grinned. “Nice, huh?”

He slowly shook his head. “You actually kissed me.”

And then, with eyes as wide as golf balls, Billy walked away in slow motion. His fellow jokers following on behind equally hypnotized. Grace watched them go, her smile wider than the River Severn. Eventually, she turned and tipped her head back to look at Jimmy. Her smile dissolved.

“What?”

He took a step closer and she resisted the urge to move back.

“You really have to ask?” he asked gruffly.

She shrugged. “I taught the boy a lesson. Maybe next time he won’t be so smug in front of an audience.

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