Before You: Standalone Contemporary Romance Read Online Free PDF Page B

acted like I was the one who did something wrong – how could I not be upset?
    I’d held up my hand, telling him to stop, I didn’t want to talk to him. Then I’d gone into Dave’s room, locked the door, and drunkenly cried myself to sleep.
    I groaned again. This trip was becoming a nightmare. I had half a mind to try and call Dave and tell him off for pulling the sibling card and getting me to come out here. I was fine in LA, living my life, all by myself. I was coping. I didn’t need this headache in my life. I didn’t need beautiful German men with complicated personalities forced on me, putting my world on tilt. I needed it to turn and turn – night and day – the way it always did. That’s how I got through. André was a problem for me, and I needed to get away from him as fast as I could.
    Actually, that’s exactly what I was going to do. I was going to call Dave and tell him that André could sort all this stuff out on my own. I was going to put my foot down and say that he could stay in the house, but he couldn’t bring André. After the last couple of days, there’s no way it would work. He was too up and down. I couldn’t do up and down.
    I rolled over, forcing my way through the pain of moving so I could look for my phone. But, it wasn’t on the bedside table where it normally would be. It must have still been out in the living room, sitting on the coffee table where I’d placed it while André and I were drinking.
    Forcing myself to sit up, I let out a sigh. Just the memory of that momentary meeting of lips was enough to make my body start to tingle all over. What was it about André that was so...excruciating? It was the only word I could use to accurately describe it, because it wasn’t the same as attraction, it was something more primal, something deep in my core.
    He made me ache.
    How could a person I barely even knew do that?
    Sighing again, I stood and ran my hands through my hair. I was in Dave’s shirt again. It covered me to mid thigh, and in the state I was in, I didn’t think I’d be standing long enough to actually change. I needed water. I needed painkillers, and I needed my phone so I could tell my brother he’s an asshole.
    Taking a deep breath, I took a hold of the handle and peeked out into the living area. It looked clear. All evidence of our night of drinking was gone – erased. If someone told me it was all a dream, I might actually be inclined to believe them – there wasn’t even an empty beer bottle near the sink. He’d cleaned it all away.
    I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
    Making my way to the bathroom, I relieved myself then splashed some water on the hideousness that was my face. I had massive dark circles under my blue eyes and the skin on my heart shaped face was pale while my lips looked dry. If only Halloween was coming up. I wouldn’t even need a costume. I opened the cabinet behind the mirror, and took out a bottle of Tylenol to ease the throbbing in my brain.
    Clutching the pill bottle in my hand, I left the bathroom and headed to the kitchen, taking a glass from the cupboard and filling it with water. As I swallowed the pills, I saw the door to André’s room open. He was in a pair of pajama pants with no shirt on. I couldn’t help but take in his defined chest and of course that V again. There needed to be a law against wandering around without a shirt on in front of the girl you just rejected. It seemed way too unfair. I almost forgot why I was cranky with him.
    As I placed my glass on the counter, I forced myself to meet his eyes. He met mine. Stood there. Unmoving. Another moment where I couldn’t breathe.
    Then he broke eye contact and went into the bathroom and closed the door. I heard it lock. Then I heard the shower start.
    Moment over.
    Closing my eyes, I gripped the edge of the counter and let out my breath. That was awkward. Everything about me being around André was awkward. I didn’t know if I could do this. I didn’t know if I