APOLLO RISING (The Apollo Saga, Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

announced her return from slumber sooner than he would like.
    “Mmmm,” she moaned, brushing her hair aside to reveal her face.
    He tried not to move, hoping she would fall back asleep long enough for him to slip away. A moment later, her eyes opened; at first slowly, followed by a smile. He had no choice but to greet her.
    “Good morning,”
    Her brown eyes grew wide with fear. They shared a brief moment of blank stares. “Oh my god!” She screamed, kneeing him in the thigh as she rose to her feet in a flash, taking the blanket with her. “Omigod, omigod! ”
    “Ouch, fuck!” Tyler groaned, gritting his teeth and grabbing his leg. “You didn’t have to kick me!”
    “I’m sorry,” she told him. “Oh god, this isn’t what it looks like. Shit!” She fumbled with one of the blankets, trying to wrap herself in it hurriedly. It was too late; he had already seen her bra and panties. “Omigod, I’m so sorry, it’s just that--”
    “Wow, was it that bad?” he moaned under his breath, wincing at the aching pain in his thigh. She got him good.
    “I didn’t kick you,” she continued. “I hit you. Well, I mean—Oh god, I’m sorry!”
    The word hit triggered something inside him; memories of a horrific beating flooded his mind – a warehouse, two goons, a woman.
    Tyler blinked hard, shaking it off like he would a terrible dream.
    “This is bad,” she kept on. “I know this looks really horrible, but it’s not what it seems. I promise.”
    Her nervousness was starting to make him feel nervous. “He’d had his fair share of awkward morning-afters, but he had never seen a woman act like this. “Relax,” he told her, struggling to push past his agony to try and calm her. “Look, I get it. I’ll go. But you don’t have to freak out. People do this all the time, ya know.”
    “Do what?! ” she snapped, and waited for him to answer. A beat later, she realized his reference. “Oh no, no, no, no! Oh gawd no! I wouldn’t. I mean, we didn’t—”
    Tyler laughed off her denial, but he had heard enough. He knew when he wasn’t welcome to stick around for breakfast. He tried to get up, but the sting cut through his leg like fire, forcing him to double over; and, it brought back with it, one last memory—he had been shot.
    What? When? The warehouse crossed his mind. He reached up and touched his face to confirm the damage from the brawl. It was real. Suddenly, he had visions of someone shooting at him. He remembered running. He recalled the woods. But how did he get here ? And who was the half-naked woman standing in front of him? A better look at her now confirmed she wasn’t the woman from the bar. He blinked again. What the fuck happened last night?
    “What--uh, where--?” He sighed, trying to focus his thoughts. It was all so confusing. He had more questions than answers, but the pain fogged his concentration. He took a deep breath and tried again. “ Who are you?”
    “Who? Me? I’m the one who saved your life,” she barked matter-of-factly. “Well, actually, I almost killed you first. But then I saved your life,” pointing to his leg. “Go ahead, see for yourself.” 
    Tyler looked down. He was beaten pretty badly. His body looked as if he’d swallowed one giant bruise. His eyes moved down to his thigh where he found the wound on his leg, cleaned and sewn.
    “Wait, so we didn’t—” he started to ask, but cut himself short. His eyes dropped meaningfully along the blanket she was hiding behind.
    “No,” she growled. “You were freezing to death, I was trying to keep you warm, you idiot!” The look on her face told him she wasn’t remotely interested in him that way, though he didn’t quite believe her, even when she angrily motioned for him to cover up. “Um, do you mind?”
    “Oh, sorry,” he appeased her, grabbing the blanket beneath him and pulling the corners up and over his manly bits. “Then, how’d I get here?”
    The woman sighed, pulling her blanket tight around her