Beautiful Burn Read Online Free PDF

her
voice left my heart bleeding for the young girl she'd been.
    “I knew your parents were
divorced, but I never knew it was that bad...” I set the oar across
my lap and twined my fingers with hers.
    “It's so much better now.
Don't get me wrong, they're still tough as nails, but at least
they're not fighting over me anymore.” Her voice cracked and tears
pooled in her eyes.
    “If I would have known...”
    “You would have rescued me?”
A bittersweet smile lifted her cheeks.
    “I would have done
something.” My eyes held her, oozing sympathy and concern.
    “I had books,” she smiled
fondly. “Books saved me. Getting lost in stories allowed me to
drown out the screaming most of the time,” she ended, softly,
pulling away and casting her gaze out to the shoreline, lit with
glowing house lights in the dark night.
    “Still, I wish you would have
told me,” I murmured as I started rowing again, conscious of moving
at a slower pace to give my body the rest it screamed for.
    “I wish I would have had a
kayak to escape out on the water.” She stretched her arms behind
her.
    I nodded somberly, wishing I
would have known back then she was struggling at home, but what I
would have done, I wasn't even sure. “We should go kayaking.” I
offered, thankful that I was here for her now.
    “I’d go anywhere with you.”
Her words stopped me in my tracks. The paddles in my hands suddenly
fell limp. I wasn't sure she’d meant for me to hear her last
admission. But I had. I had heard her loud and clear.
    “Auburn, that kiss, I'm
afraid it was a mistake. A relationship between us could cause a
scandal, it could ruin my life and yours. I love more than anything
else spending time with you, talking to you, but we can't cross that
line again.”
    Her eyes held mine as she
spoke, “I've waited too long, Reed. I've thought about you
countless times since the last time I saw you three years ago. I
didn't know if I'd ever see you again, and you were married! But
coming back this summer, having you suddenly thrown back in my life, and you're separated from your wife, if there's something
here...” she shifted in her seat and then caught my eyes, her's
searing with passionate hesitation. “It feels like our timing is
finally right.” She ended on a soft murmur.
    “Jesus, I feel the same way.”
I clutched at the oars gripped in my hands until my knuckles ached.
“But with all the media attention about teachers getting caught
with students, it's a monumental risk. I have a teacher friend who
scrubbed all her online profiles of anything remotely sexy, even
photos she'd had from a bachelorette party in Vegas, she was so
worried about losing her job. The barest hint of anything
unprofessional, even with zero evidence, could ruin my life to hell
and back.”
    “God, I know.” She ran a
hand through her long dark strands and averted her eyes to the silver
clouds drifting across the sky. “I've just never felt this kind of
connection with anyone else.” She said, sadly.
    “Fuck. Me too.” I sighed,
feeling more trapped than ever. “I wish we could, but there are so
many things going on right now.” I ran a hand through my hair,
wanting to explain it all to her, but I could hardly fathom it myself
much less speak the words to another person. Auburn's face fell
before she closed her eyes and stretched her arms above her head. She bent behind her and I watched the soft
breeze rush over her body and catch in the threads of her hair. She
was breathtaking, and her adventurous nature was something I’d
often craved out of Mel. Mel
was too controlled, too regimented. Nature made her uncomfortable.
Frizzed her hair and made her sweat, she'd always said. So I’d
taken to exploring Michigan on my own, but Mel had started to resent
my being gone on the weekends, so I'd let that go too.
    I jumped into the water a few
minutes later to pull the boat on shore when I turned and found
Auburn had followed me out, shoes in hand. She dropped