Bad Karma Read Online Free PDF

curtain and watched him walk back to his house with his hands shoved deep in the pockets of his cargo shorts. Sky huffed out a little sigh and let the curtain fall.
    ~*~
 
 
    CHAPTER THREE
    Initiation
 
    In the morning, Zach loped up the stairs of the house next door and raised his hand to knock, but before he could do so, Skyler slid the glass door open. She was dressed and waiting, clad in a sleek, one-piece black bathing suit with a pair of nylon shorts over it.
    "Morning," he said, trying not to ogle her trim figure.
    A faint blush colored her cheeks as she smiled up at him. "I'm ready," she said, her voice low, almost a whisper. She glanced both ways down the beach and stepped quickly outside the sliding glass door, locking it behind her.
    He wondered what demons made both women so edgy. “You can leave it unlocked. People around here won’t bother you.”
    She gave him a nervous glance. “Habit. I wouldn’t want to leave Cassie alone with the door unlocked.”
    Zach nodded. He held her arm as she took the stairs one at a time. He sensed that she found it difficult to allow him to help her, but he hoped that she saw the wisdom in preventing another accident when she was unsteady on her feet. “How did the ceiling fan work out for you? Did you sleep well?”
    She smiled up at him. “I was so stuffed after the delicious dinner you prepared for us, I fell asleep right away. Slept like a dead thing, thank you very much.”
    He felt a warm tingle spiraling in his stomach as he gazed into the depths of her Caribbean blue eyes. “ De nada .”
    “ What does that mean?”
    “ Sorry. Everyone born around here speaks Spanish as well as English. It just means that no thanks are necessary.”
    “ De nada ,” she repeated. “I guess I’ll have to brush up. Cassie took a year of Spanish in high school and another in her undergraduate program. She used to try to practice on me but I ignored her as all big sisters do.”
    “ Too bad you didn’t apply yourself. It’ll come in handy for her down here. Shall we get started?”
    “ Might as well. I hope I can keep up with you.”
    “ It’s not a race. We’re just going for a walk on the beach. We can look for shells. Fill our lungs with the fresh offshore breeze. Enjoy the sunrise.” Zach gave her a smile and pointed to her sneakers. “You might want to leave those behind. Walking in the soft sand is part of the therapy.”
    She looked doubtful. An attractive tinge of color crept up her pale cheeks.
    “ Trust me. The beach will give you what you need. Athletes train by running in the sand. If you don’t like it, I’ll carry you home piggyback.” He squatted down to untie her shoes and she held onto his shoulder to slide out of them. He saw a long scrape on top of her foot and ankle. “What happened here? Was this part of the injury from your car accident?”
    Skyler bit her lip. “No. Someone tried to run over me with a car a week ago. I jumped out of the way, but...he killed my dog.” Her lips quivered and she quickly blinked away the tears that gathered.
    He pulled himself erect, frowning. “You seem to be experiencing a run of bad luck. Didn’t the driver see you?”
    Sky dropped her gaze. “He saw me all right. He sped up and left skid marks, but I jumped behind a parked car. My dog wasn’t so lucky.” Her face had taken on a flushed tone and tears rolled down her cheeks in twin rivulets. She brushed them away with the backs of her hands.
    A twisting in his gut stirred some emotion within Zach. He recognized it and took a deep breath. Too soon after his doomed relationship with Chloe to take on the role of protector to another damsel in distress. “Sorry about your dog. I’m glad the driver missed you.” Zach picked up her sneakers and placed them neatly on the lowest step of the wooden stairs leading up to the front door, handy for their return.
    She nodded and looked up and down the beach once more.
    Zach stepped onto the sand and led Skyler