Page 22 of Steel

“I’ll fill Em in then, and she can let him know while we’re gettin’ your hair done.”

“No,” I say sharply.

Shit.Not the reaction I wanted to have at hearing her name come from his mouth.

“Just let me tell them, please,” I plead when all he does is stare at me.

I hate that I don’t know what’s running through his mind as he keeps his eyes on me. Can he tell how uncomfortable I am whenhe talks about her? How jealous I am of her? How much Ihatebeing jealous of her? She’s a friend, nearly family with how close Reed is with the guys.

“Better. Otherwise, I’m fillin’ her in.”

“Understood.”

“Stay here. Goin’ to take our stuff out and check to make sure we don’t have any surprises waitin’ for us.” He places his extra gun beside me on the bed. “If I don’t announce myself, shoot first and worry about fuckin’ questions later.”

I nod, sliding the gun into my hand and resting it on my uninjured thigh. “Be careful.”

In an unconscious move, he runs his finger softly down my nose like he used to before turning on his booted heels. He does security checks before opening the door carefully, his gun at the ready, and then he takes all the oxygen with him as he steps out the door.

It’s not long before he’s back, and then he slides me back into his arms to carry me out to the Bronco.

There may not be any danger to my body right now, but there sure as hell is to my heart. I’m just not sure how to keep my walls secure and high enough so he can’t scale over them.

“What do you think?” the stylist, Luanne, asks, standing behind me as she turns me toward the mirror.

My long blonde tresses are gone, and I’m left with a bright, fire engine red pixie undercut with black shaved sides. The cut has somehow accentuated my cheekbones, making them appear sharper, and it highlights the dark beauty mark on my cheek.

It’s strange how a simple haircut and color change can alter your appearance.

I turn my head left and then right, examining myself from all sides. This is the first time I’ve had all my hair cut off. Usually, it’s just a trim to keep the dead ends off. Shoot, I’ve never even dared to go any color other than my natural shade let alone one that’s so . . . bold.

Meeting Luanne’s eyes in the mirror, I grin. “I freaking love it.”

She tosses her purple head back and laughs. “Something told me you would. Your man said you wanted something that made you feel like a whole different person. You’ve got this soft core inside you, but you’re bold as hell, ain’t you?”

I don’t bother correcting her about Steel. Instead, I smirk. “You could be on to something.”

Luanne pulls off the apron, shaking it out over the floor then laying it over the back of the chair. She helps me climb to my feet and over to the counter just as Steel meets us there.

I lift my gaze to his and nearly stumble back at the heat that’s emanating from them. Good goddess, he’s going to burn me alive if he keeps looking at me like that.

“What do you think, bossman?”

His reply is a quiet grunt, but I don’t miss the unconscious lip bite as he glances away to pay Luanne.

Oh, looks like someone may like it a little more than anticipated.

She hands me her business card with a wink, and then Steel is helping me out the door and to the Bronco.

“Got some fake piercings. You’ll wear them when you’re around other people. Someplace that’s just us, you can keep them off. Also bought some colored contacts. There’s a box with each color so you can decide which one you want to wear. Just need to change yours because they’re distinctive. Appearance has to change as much as we can because you’re goin’ to be around people who might recognize you otherwise,” he informs me, passing over a small shopping bag.

I dig through the bag as he pulls out of the parking lot. Pawing through the piercings, I see he also got them in different colors. The black hooped nose ring sits tightly against my nostril, giving my nose an even daintier look, and a simple black lip ring gives me an edgy look that I’m not used to seeing. It feels strange having these on my face, but as I admire them in the mirror, I really fall in love with them. My entire life, I’ve been the good girl, the soft-hearted hopeless romantic who looks like the girl next door. If I were to walk into my house with a look this bold, my dad would have busted my mouth and then disowned me.

Not that anyone knows that my dad was abusive. It was something I got really good at hiding from Reed and Jedreck. Dad was an angel in their eyes, and I didn’t have it in me to disabuse them of that notion and break their hearts. What’s done is done. It’s in the past and there isn’t any reason to tell them now.

I fish through the contact lenses until I find a pair that isn’t going to clash with the red hair. After wiping my hands with the small package of antibacterial wipes, I insert them, blinking rapidly to settle the honey-colored lenses into place.

“What do you think about these?” I ask, turning to face him.

---