Between Loves (The Pendant Series Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

on my hands and more importantly on the rose I was holding.
    He stomped across the room and muttered under his breath, “It smells like fucking smoke in here.”
    Before I had time to deny it, I felt the beautiful flower being ripped right out of my hands. He moved so quickly my brain didn’t have enough time to tell my hand to let go. Instead, I clenched down on the stem while Ray pulled. The friction made the tiny thorns transform into razors as they ripped open the flesh on my palms.
    “Oww,” I yelped in pain as I looked down at my hand to inspect my wounds. Ray hardly noticed the red stream flowing from my palm. He was too busy shoving the flower into the medical waste bin as though it were some sort of toxic hazard to our relationship. I brought my hand to my mouth and pressed my tongue against the wound, hoping to stop the bleeding, not to mention the violent words I wanted to scream at Ray. I looked down at the white bed sheet and noticed the tiny ladybug frozen in place. I brought my finger down so the little insect could crawl onto it but it was no use. The bug was dead. Ray had killed it just like he was killing our love.
    He snarled, “I thought we agreed you wouldn’t see him again, Sid?”
    The lingering smell of cigarettes made it impossible for me to deny that Adrian was here.
    “Ray, I’m in the freaking hospital. It’s not like I called him and asked him on a date. He heard what happened and came to check on my well-being. That’s it.”
    My seething boyfriend stood in the middle of the room in silence.
    “Why don’t you like him? You’ve never even met him,” I continued, becoming more and more agitated.
    “Because he’s after my girl.”
    I flicked the ladybug’s carcass off the sheet and stuffed my face into the oversized pillow and closed my eyes.
    At least Ray admitted his real issue with Adrian and didn’t try to hide behind his stupid anti-smoking beliefs.
    “I’m too tired for this. Let’s just go to bed so we can go home tomorrow.”
    I felt Ray’s warmth as he climbed into the hospital bed and secured me in his embrace, holding me slightly tighter than he normally did.
     
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 6
     
     
    Into My Web
     
    I woke up the next morning to a nurse calling my name.
    “Ms. Sinclair, your boyfriend already took care of filling your prescription this morning so all I need you to do is sign this last discharge paper and you’re free to go,” the young auburn-haired caregiver babbled.
    After Lilly, I’d acquired a prejudice against redheaded women and wanted them kept as far away from Ray as possible. But this girl was far from a threat. She was mousy, with brown, doughy eyes and a plain, plump, freckled face. She looked more like a Cabbage Patch Kid than a human being. I signed the papers and scanned the room for Ray. Of course he was missing.
    The nurse, following my eyes, answered my unspoken question. “Your boyfriend is outside taking a business call. It must be so cool to be with someone famous like Ray Ryker.”
    The stars in her eyes twinkled, reminding me that the Cabbage Babe was indeed a real human girl.
    “Yeah, it’s a blast,” I said as I handed her the clipboard. She was too lost in her own fantasy to hear the sarcasm dripping from my voice.
    “He brought a change of clothes for you this morning,” she went on, pointing to a bag printed with the name of one of Chrissy’s favorite stores. It was very expensive. “What a dream, you are so lucky, Ms. Sinclair.”
    The smile cemented on her face almost made me want to puke. I had a million comments for her but I politely returned her smile and got up to grab the bag. I was so lucky because my boyfriend liked to use his limitless credit card to buy me clothes, hoping it would be enough for me to forget about his affair. I snatched the bag and headed into the restroom to see what Ray would like his Barbie to wear today.
    It was a good thing I had shaved my legs just before I had