Awakening (A Dangerous Man, #1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

soreness of my
body.
    “Good morning,” He looks at me for a moment, “How are you
feeling?”
    “Great.” I smile, suppressing the desire to break into song,
or something equally ridiculous. “A little sore.”
    He nods. I reach out and touch his hair, letting my fingers
play with the thick black silkiness. His lips curve a little.
    “When do you have to leave for work?”
    I frown, I have completely forgotten about work. “The shop
opens at eleven,” I tell him, “I usually leave about twenty minutes before
then.”
    He turns to look at the alarm by my bed, it’s only eight am.
    “When are you leaving?” I’m suddenly filled with dread.
Yesterday, I thought I would be satisfied with one night, a first time I would
not easily forget, but now, after last night, I know I am not.
    “At noon.” He shrugs and gets up.
    I want to beg him to take me with him, but I keep silent, I
don’t want to sound like a child. I watch admiringly as he walks towards the
bathroom. He has a beautiful body, tight, and firm in all the right places. I
wonder if he works out.
    I stay in bed for a while, wondering if I have disappointed
him in some way. I remember what he said last night, ‘You’re so damn beautiful.’
The words probably meant nothing.
    I get up, put on a robe, and go into the living room, our
clothes are lying around on the floor in a mess. I blush when I see my blue
dress crumpled near the door. I pick up all the clothes and place them on the
couch.
    A weight of deep sadness descends on me. I try to imagine
the next chapter of my life in Bellevue, and I keep seeing his face. I wonder
if he cares what happens to me. Maybe he doesn’t, maybe he is eager to leave
and forget the eighteen-year-old worst sex he’s ever had.
    Well I won’t forget, and I won’t regret anything either. It
was the best night of my life, and whether he leaves or stays will not change
that.
    I am still deep in thought when the doorbell rings, startling
me. I wonder who it is. Nobody ever comes to my apartment. Aside from Stacey Carver,
I may well be an island. It’s a good thing, I decide, there will be fewer
people to miss when I’m gone.
    I walk to the door and peer through the peephole. Eddie Newton
is standing there looking impatient. As I watch, he presses the bell again.
What does he want?
    “Are you going to get that?” I turn around startled, and find
that David has joined me in the living room. He is pulling on his clothes, in a
few moments he is dressed.
    I realize that he’s not going to go back to my room, so I
sigh in resignation and open the door just a crack.
    “Hey Sophie.” Eddie looks relieved to see me. His face
relaxes from the frown it was wearing.
    “Hey Eddie.” I am frowning. I have no idea why he is here.
    “I hope I’m not intruding,” His words come out in a rush. “It’s
just, with everything that’s happened, I’ve been a little worried about you,
and my mom told me where live now. I just came by because I wanted to be sure
you are all right.
    “I’m fine.” I tell him, certain that he is taking this worrying
about me thing a little too far.
    He shifts from one foot to another, and I think for a moment
that he still looks like a child, which is ridiculous, as he is older than I
am. I wonder what he is waiting for, I start to say thank you and goodbye, but
his eyes skip over my head to something behind me in the living room.
    His face hardens, “I see you have a guest.” His voice is suddenly
bitter, making it sound like an accusation.
    I turn around, but I already know that David is behind me. His
eyes are locked with Eddie’s over my head, and as I turn back towards Eddie, he
looks away from David, his eyes skipping to mine, and then to the floor.
    “I’m all right, Eddie,” I say to him, pitying him, “You have
no reason to be worried.”
    “Are you sure?” His jaw is working, and he keeps his eyes on
my face, totally ignoring David’s presence. “Because if there’s anything