Catch Read Online Free PDF Page A

doorway of one of the guest rooms. The thought of leaving her alone in her current state caused an unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach. Get a hold of yourself! She’s passed out, not sick! I took a step into the room but stopped again. Who was I kidding? I wasn’t worried about something happening to her; I was worried about what would happen to me if she weren’t by my side. Somehow, she had gotten under my skin and there was not a goddamn thing I could do about it.
    So, I did something I’d never ever done with any girl before. I turned around, walked out of the room with her still in my arms, and took the stairs to the next level—the level where my bedroom was located.
    I carefully placed her on top of the sheets, letting her head rest gently on a pillow. I tucked her gone-wild hair neatly to one side, resisting the urge to run the back of my fingers along her cheek. What kind of crazy person have I suddenly become? I had an unconscious woman in my room and all I wanted to do was touch her face. But she looked so beautiful, so angelic, and so innocent… I felt a tiny smile tug at the corner of my mouth as I thought back to the crazy things we’d done in the kitchen. This woman is far from innocent.
    I summoned enough strength to stand and drag my gaze away, then made my way toward the connecting bathroom to clean myself up. I found myself rushing just to be near her again. Once I returned, I slipped into bed, covered both of us in the blankets and clapped the lights out before I could do anything stupid.
    I don’t know how long it took me to fall asleep. My mind wouldn’t shut off. I had someone in my room, after all. A beautiful stranger who made me hard just thinking about her, but at the same time all I wanted to do was lie beside her and watch her. There was something about her, some sort of connection a small part of me could sense but the rest of me didn’t understand, not yet…
    ****
    I woke with a jerk, but I was glad to be conscious. I hated my dreams. It was the only time I had no control over the images which would play on repeat of the worst memories of my childhood. I didn’t take prescription drugs because I was afraid they would affect my game play. Alcohol usually worked, but mostly, I preferred to be awake so I had more power over my thoughts.
    I stood up and stretched, noticing the angelic being still sleeping soundly on the other side of the bed. See, it wasn’t so bad having another person in your room, my mind whispered. I watched her for a moment, my mind churning with questions of what made her so special. You’ll hurt yourself thinking this hard. I blinked and realized I’d been frowning so hard my forehead was beginning to hurt. Stupid brain, always being right!
    I decided to shower to try and stop the consuming thoughts. When I returned, Evangeline was awake and sitting up. She obviously hadn’t heard me come in because she was still looking around the room. She hadn’t bothered to cover herself either, so my eyes honed in on the mouth-watering sight. With her bare, perky breasts on show, the little guy downstairs stirred. Instinctively, I reached down and gave him a firm squeeze through the towel. Calm down, boy.
    Not wanting to interrupt her exploration of my room, I decided to straighten a few loose pages of a previous modeling contract sitting on top of my dresser. Why hadn’t Rose cleaned it up?
    From the corner of my eye, I saw Evangeline spin to face me as soon as I moved the papers together. As I turned to meet her gaze, I fought back a laugh when I noticed she wasn’t staring at me; rather, she was ogling my bare chest. I let her enjoy the view and drink me in for a moment before I decided to play the same game, interested to see her reaction if roles were reversed.
    “Good morning, sunshine,” I sang cheerfully.
    I was right. Once Evangeline realized I wasn’t staring at her face, she quickly yanked the blanket up and covered her exposed lady parts.
    I