Addicted To Him (Man Season) Read Online Free PDF Page A

out a growl so loud it hurt her ears but she twisted to make
him yell some more.
    “Damn, woman!” he cried, “You never
quit!”
    “I know, but you love it, right?”
    “Yeah, I do. I love you, Tegan .”
    She didn’t expect that. Didn’t think
he would utter those three words. True, her heart had given itself up to him
even before she’d met him but she vaguely imagined that he was only after her
for the thrill of the chase, and once that was over he’d move on. It didn’t
occur to her that he could actually love her.
    Fleet splattered his body over the
rose petals, tried to calm the erratic rhythm of his heart. He looked pale
suddenly, and sick.
    “What’s wrong?” Tegan cried as she swathed him in her soft, sweaty arms.
    “I don’t know … I feel strange. Ill … Tegan ,
call Digby !”
    “There’s no time! I’m getting you to
the hospital!”
    She grabbed a raincoat from the back
room and wrapped it about her ragged dress then she fumbled in his pockets,
looking for his keys.
    “No, no hospitals! I don’t want Ned
to know! Take me home!”
    She peered into the azure eyes; they
were glazed with fear and pain. She could see there was no use, or time, in
arguing.
    “Okay, but I’m calling Mom once we
get there!”
    She helped him rise, and managed to
walk him to the Jaguar. Then she hurried back to close up the shop. Kerry might
be furious when he saw the mess, but knowing him he’d think it was cool that
they made out on his floor.
    Tegan started the engine, hoping she could
handle the temperamental car. Fleet curled up in the passenger seat, heaving
and coughing. Finally, he shot a stream of almost clear vomit onto the
floorboard.
    “I never wanted you to see me like
this, Tegan .”
    “It was bound to happen sometime. You
are a drug addict, right?”
    “How’d you know?”
    “I’m nosy. I saw the pill bottles in
your medicine cabinet. Why do you take them? Is it because of your mother?”
    “Yeah, that’s part of it. But running
a movie studio is so damned stressful. I couldn’t cope. My uncle, Ned, is a
doctor. He started giving me prescriptions, said they wouldn’t hurt me. I guess
he’s right. They don’t hurt me … as long as I keep taking them. But if I try to
stop … that’s when the trouble starts!”
    “And he won’t help you get off of
them?”
    “Why should he? The more I take the
richer he gets.”
    “ Digby told
me to watch out for Ned Grant. I think I can see why.”
    “He said that? Digby’s a
straight-shooter! I should’ve listened to him years ago. But it’s too late
now.”
    “It’s never too late, as long as
you’re breathing, Fleet! I’ll get you off those pills! I swear I will!”
    She steered the Jaguar out onto the
PCH. She glanced over, caught an admiring expression on his face, almost as if
he was proud of her. She patted his cheek and smiled. Inside though, she was
shaking with fear. Her mind recalling the horror of watching her beloved
father, Dale, succumb to drug addiction in a failed effort to beat cancer. She
and Callie had tried unsuccessfully to help him get off the pills. When he died
it was as much from the amount of chemicals in his system as the insidious
spread of the disease. She wasn’t sure she could handle going through all that
again. But she had to try, for Fleet’s sake. She wanted him whole and healthy,
and strong enough to be the father of her children. Wow – that thought floored
her. She hadn’t realized she wanted kids until then.
    When they arrived at Fleet’s mansion
the driveway was empty. The moon cast a spotlight on their faces. Tegan glanced at Fleet; he looked worn and helpless. She
smothered an urge to cry, helped him into the garage entrance.
    “I have a private room down here
below the pool. It’s a kind of panic room, I guess you might say. I go there
when I need solitude. You’re the only other person besides me, and Digby , to see it.”
    They entered the claustrophobic room.
It was somewhat like an old