Crush Read Online Free PDF Page B

her hand and held it tight. They rode in silence for a mile or so before he said, “You know, you don’t have to be so strong and sensible all the time. You should try to be more like me.”
    “Weak and foolish?”
    “Exactly, and only when it comes to opening yourself up to possibilities. You keep yourself so guarded, yet at the same time you let people take advantage of you.”
    “People like who?” she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.
    “Everyone in that dreadful department of yours, save Jed Hodgekins.”
    “Krakow, Sully and Paulie are good to me,” she countered.
    “Jordan.”
    Miranda felt herself contract in some elemental way at the mention of that name. “This isn’t the time or the place to discuss him.”
    “I agree. This is a time to think about kismet and love and—”
    “Dinner,” Miranda spoke over him, sighing nervously. “Even though we had to leave North America for it, this is still just a dinner date.”
    “So you’ve come to accept that this is a date,” Bernie grinned.
    “Two people make up a date, not three. This is a publicity and marketing stunt for the Herald-Star and Karmic Echo.”
    “Oh, yes, I’m quite certain that Lucas dived into a frenzied crowd, had his hair, clothes and skin torn, resuscitated you, shielded you from the photographers and held you until help arrived all because he wanted to have you over—to Wales, mind you—for stuffed peppers and a photo op.”
    “None of this makes any sense,” she said, frustration and anxiety giving her voice a whiny quality that grated on her own ears. “And you’re not helping by trying to turn it into something it isn’t. Cu de bêbado não tem dono! ” she fired.
    “Oh Lord, she’s bringing out Avó Marie Estrella’s Portuguese commandments,” Bernie exhaled, rolling his eyes at the roof of the limo. “Go on, tell me what that one means.”
    “A drunk’s ass has no owner,” Miranda responded defiantly.
    “Your grandma was schizophrenic, wasn’t she, because that’s just crazy talk.”
    “It means you shouldn’t put yourself in a situation where you’re totally vulnerable,” Miranda clarified.
    Bernie leaned forward and peered into her eyes. “You’re scared.”
    “Scared?” She choked out a fake laugh. “Of what?”
    “Lucas Fletcher.”
    “Here’s what’s going to happen, Bernie.” Miranda got angry all over again at the whole situation. “We’re being driven to Lucas Fletcher’s publicist’s office or condo or whatever you call it in Wales, and we’ll drink fancy bottled water until almighty Lucas himself bothers to show up. His handlers will pose and shoot us making chitchat, and those photos will be on all the wire services within minutes. Lucas Fletcher will be properly acknowledged as my hero, Rex will get his feel-good story and I’ll get to go cover the World Series. The only thing I’m afraid of is that some photographer will take my picture while I’m blinking and that’s the one that will end up on the cover of the Herald-Star .
    “I am not afraid of Lucas Fletcher.”
    “I know you, baby doll.” Bernie chuckled and patted Miranda’s knee. “I know when you’re frightened, and I know what scares you. Look me in the eye and tell me that Lucas Fletcher doesn’t scare you.”
    Miranda stubbornly turned her gaze to the window. The Welsh countryside was an emerald blur as the limo cruised closer to its destination. She had never been to the United Kingdom, yet anxiety muted her excitement. Her career had been spent dealing with celebrities, and she had dated a professional athlete for over a year. Lucas Fletcher shouldn’t have been any different. He was just a man, albeit one that had made a crucial yet still fleeting impact on her life. She searched her thoughts and her conflicted emotions, and still she couldn’t bring herself to admit that Lucas had affected her in powerful, intangible ways. She was left with one troubling conclusion.
    Bernie’s right, she