Fighting for Flight by JB Salsbury (easy readers TXT) 📕

“Bring your dog.” I shrug.

“Bring my . . . but . . . I don’t have a dog.” Her forehead pinches between her eyebrows, and I fight the desire to kiss the skin smooth.

Damn, she is really cute.

“You said you had to feed your dog.”

“Right, Dog. My cat. Well, not my cat. The cat that lives in the alley.”

I roll my lips between my teeth to keep from laughing. “Let me get this straight. You feed an alley cat that you’ve named Dog, and that’s why you can’t stay with me.”

“Exactly.” She throws her hands out like she’s just made the point of the century.

I lose the battle against my laughter and nearly double over with it. “You’re, without a doubt, the most amusing girl I’ve ever met, Raven . . . uh . . .” I’m not going through this again. “What’s your last name?”

Her expression falls and her face goes pale. What did I say? She rolls her bottom lip into her mouth, raking it across her teeth. My laughter dies and instinctively I pull her into my arms.

“Baby? You okay?”

She exhales and wraps her hands around my waist. “I’m fine. You just caught me off guard.” Her arms grow tight as she hugs me to her. “I guess you’ll find out sooner or later.”

What the hell? What could possibly be so bad about her last name? I guess it could be Manson or Bundy.

“Morretti. My full name is Raven Morretti.” Her words are dull and lifeless.

Morretti? I look past her, squinting into the darkness. Why does that name—Holy shit!

Dominick Morretti. Las Vegas’s most infamous pimp. And her mom’s a prostitute. It all makes sense.

Not only have I seen his mug all over the news but I’ve actually met the scumbag. I’ve seen him at all our fights, working his girls. He tried to get us to throw down some cash for a night with a Morretti girl.

Raven looks nothing like him with her dark hair and olive skin, but those eyes. It’s amazing I didn’t make the connection before. The color is so unique, but, where hers are cool pools of Caribbean water, his are death by drowning. My mom always said, “The eyes are the windows to your soul,” and looking into Dominick Morretti’s eyes, it’s pretty clear he ain’t got one.

“Jonah?” Her arms grow impossibly tighter around my waist.

She’s got to know I know who her father is. Everyone in town knows who her father is. He not only runs the biggest prostitution ring in the state, allegedly, but he also owns half the real estate in town. And she lives in a studio above a garage?

“Yeah, baby. Let’s get you inside.”

I grab her hand and lead her into the house. Not letting go, I lock the door and take her to the couch. I sit down and pull her onto my lap. She stiffens and avoids my eyes.

“Your dad is Dominick Morretti.”

Dropping her forehead, she simply nods.

I take a deep breath and look to the ceiling. “I know him, Raven. I know your dad—”

“He’s not my dad.” Her harsh glare locks on mine before her expression softens. “I mean he’s my biological father, but he’s not my dad. I don’t have a dad.”

I pull her to me, and she nestles into my chest, her arms wrap around my waist.

“Well, whatever he is to you, he’s no good. I don’t want you around him.”

She laughs humorlessly. “You don’t have to worry about that. He hasn’t wanted anything to do with me in twenty years. I doubt he ever will. I’m pretty sure whatever happened between him and my mom was a mistake . . . you know, me.” Her final words are barely audible as her voice is muffled in my chest.

Anger pushes its way through my concern for her. I place my hand under chin and force her eyes to mine. “I can’t see your life ever being considered a mistake.”

Her sad smile rips through me.

“My parents never had a relationship that I know of. I’m not close to my mom, so she’s never told me, but it’s pretty obvious they have nothing beyond, um, a professional relationship.”

Her bright eyes look away for a second as she blows a piece of long hair from her face. “Anyway, can we talk about something else now?”

Her full lips lift into a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. I’m left with a million questions tumbling in my head, but I don’t want to ruin the night by bringing up painful memories of her past.

“Yes, we can.” I stare at her lips, hungry to taste them again. But there’s one thing I need to say before I can put this subject to bed. “Promise me you’ll stay away from Dominick Morretti.”

“That, I can promise.” Her eyes move down my face and settle on my mouth.

I shove both hands into her hair and bring her lips to mine. She eagerly complies, wrapping her hands behind my neck and holding me close to her. She tilts her head and our tongues slide together. Her body shifts on my lap and I moan my approval. Just days ago I thought I could walk away from her. And now, I don’t want to spend one night without her.

~*~

Raven

The marble flooring is cool under my bare feet as I stand, looking at myself in Jonah’s bathroom mirror. Something’s different. I can’t put my finger on what it is, but I know I’ve never been able to see my molars before when I smile. I have a serious case of the perma-grins.

I look down at the cotton t-shirt and sweat pants lying folded in my hands. It hits me again, with no less intensity than before, that I’m spending the night with Jonah Slade. Now my cheeks actually hurt.

Checking out his dark brown, granite counter top with double sinks and mahogany cabinetry, curiosity pushes at me. I question whether or not to snoop in his medicine cabinet. I chew on my