Breakaway Read Online Free PDF

Jason reached for his wallet to pay. Remi started to protest, but he
waved a hand and gave the driver some bills, including enough for a generous
tip.
    She led the way in her front door, flicked on a light and
looked around at her home, wondering how it looked to Jason. She lived a simple
life. Although Jasmine had been working at a full-time job for several months
now, there wasn’t a lot of money left for luxuries from Remi’s teacher’s
salary. But Jason bought drinks and handed out money easily, wore clothes that
were clearly expensive and the watch she’d noticed on his wrist was a stainless
steel Baume & Mercier. She didn’t know what he did, but he obviously had
money.
    “This is nice,” he said, surveying the living room. The
house was old, but Remi loved it, loved the character in the big baseboards,
the mullioned windows, the original brick fireplace and hardwood floors. “It
reminds me of my parents’ home in Winnipeg.”
    “Winnipeg? That’s where you’re from?”
    “Yeah.” He slid his coat off and she stepped toward him to
take it and hang it up. Nerves tightened and twisted inside her. She’d never
done this—never brought a man home like this. She and Darryl had dated for
months before they’d had sex and then it had to be quick and planned so as to
avoid Kyle and Jasmine. What were the rules? Were there rules? Should she offer
him a drink?
    “Would you like a drink?” she inquired after hanging his
coat in the closet. She stroked a hand down the sleeve of the exquisitely soft,
black wool fabric before closing the closet door.
    “Your coat?”
    “Hmm?” She stared at him.
    “Are you going to take your coat off?”
    She looked down at herself. “Oh!” Her cheeks heated and she
gave a lopsided smile. “Yes, of course.” She quickly removed the pretty new
coat that she shouldn’t have spent so much money on and hung it in the closet
next to his.
    “C’mere.” He held out a hand and she hesitated, then walked
toward him and took it. “You’re nervous.”
    “No, I’m not.”
    He laughed softly and pulled her closer, his hands on her
hips. She trembled.
    “It’s okay. Let’s have a drink, sit down and talk some more.”
    “Okay. I have beer or wine…or champagne.”
    “Champagne?” He lifted a brow. She moved away from his touch
toward the kitchen.
    “Delise brought it over earlier. To celebrate.” She shook
her head, smiling.
    “Well, we should finish it,” Jason said, following her. “That
stuff doesn’t keep.”
    “Okay.” She found two clean champagne flutes and poured the
bubbly wine into them.
    He touched the edge of his glass to hers before lifting it
to his lips. “To Remi. All on her own now. Ready to have fun.”
    She inhaled. Exhaled. Sipped her fizzy wine. Jason took her
hand and led her back to the living room. They sat down on the slip-covered
couch.
    “Tell me about Winnipeg.”
    He grinned. “Do you even know where it is?”
    She nibbled her bottom lip. “Canada.”
    His laughter warmed her insides. “Very good. Actually it’s
not that far from here. Just north of North Dakota. It’s a nice city. Not as
big as Chicago, of course. Bet you didn’t know it was once called the ‘Chicago
of the north.’”
    “I didn’t know that.” She watched him talk, sipped her wine.
    “Back at the turn of the century, Winnipeg was growing fast.
There were a lot of skyscrapers built—well, at the time they were considered
skyscrapers. The architects who designed them were trained in the Chicago
School style. Those buildings are still there, in the Exchange District. In
fact, a lot of movies are filmed there because the buildings and streets still
look just like they did back then. It’s a neat area.”
    “Really? That’s cool.”
    “Yeah. Winnipeg has stood in for Chicago in a few movies.”
    “Like what?”
    “Um… Shall We Dance , with Richard Gere and Susan
Sarandon.”
    “Get out! Really?”
    “I kid you not.”
    She wanted to know why he’d