Faery Godlover: BBW Paranormal Romance Read Online Free Page A

had reassured her, with her typical Zen-level calmness. “He’s out there, Jaz, you just gotta be patient. And don’t give up hope.”
    Sitting quietly in the break room, Jasmine heaved a sigh and took an unenthusiastic bite of her croissant. She was getting awfully tired of eating leftover cafe items and fending off attentions of the wrong sort from the wrong guys. She had wanted so much more out of life than this, but college hadn’t done much beyond saddling her with a hefty pile of student loans to deal with. Not to mention the feelings of failure and disappointment for dropping out before graduation. She’d only been a semester shy of getting her English degree when her money problems took over. Her parents were fairly well-off, but they refused to help her—in fact, they were too busy sailing around the world living the retired life to even bother to keep in touch. They’d been in their late forties when Jasmine was born very much by accident, and they were already too tired to throw themselves full-force into raising a child. She knew that they loved her, but it was obvious that she’d never really been a priority in their lives.
    Besides, Jasmine was a fiercely independent young woman. She didn’t want to ask for help, even when it was desperately needed. She was dead-set on proving herself to the world, even if it meant digging herself into a very deep hole in the process.
    So far she’d just dug herself right into a rut, from which there seemed to be no exit, no way out. She grimaced at the chewy consistency of the stale pastry and tossed it into the trash can across the room. However, she missed by about a foot, just as Cynthia walked in.
    Perfect. Just perfect.
    “If you’re going to waste food and drive up production costs, you could at least dispose of the evidence properly,” Cynthia said, shaking her head.
    “Well, I didn’t miss on purpose,” Jasmine replied, getting up to put the croissant directly into the trash this time. Her manager plunked down into a chair and began peeling a banana while poring over the upcoming week’s schedule.
    “Can you cover for Gabby next Wednesday?” she asked.
    Jasmine’s stomach plummeted. She had been hoping to have that day off so she could finally go see a movie that had come out a week ago. Alone. Of course. She supposed those plans were kind of pathetic, anyway, so she might as well earn some extra cash instead.
    “Sure, I guess,” Jasmine answered.
    “Thanks. By the way, could you head back out there and help? Julie’s gotta go home early to see her kid’s piano recital,” Cynthia added. So much for a fifteen minute break.
    “Yup,” she said dully, walking back out to resume her spot behind the counter, tying her apron on along the way. She typed her employee code into the register and glanced up, affixing a customer-service smile to her face. But at the sight of the man standing on the other side of the counter her jaw immediately dropped..
                  He was so tall that she had to crane her gaze upward to meet his eye.. His sun-kissed skin was utterly smooth, almost to the point of looking like a wooden sculpture. His shoulders and chest were broad and clearly muscular, accentuated by his tight black button-up shirt. He wore the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing thick, golden forearms. Jasmine had to fight the urge to lick her lips. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a sly voice questioned what it would feel like to be lifted up into the air or pinned against a wall by those strong arms.
    And that face… oh, that gorgeous face.
    He had a set of full, luscious lips, and silky, dark locks that framed a square jaw and high cheekbones and his thick brows lifted questioningly at Jasmine’s hesitation. She longed to see what his eyes looked like, for despite being indoors, they were hidden behind a pair of curiously dark, round sunglasses. She wondered if perhaps he was eccentric.
    But when she continued to stare blankly