Crushed (Crystal Brook Billionaires) Read Online Free PDF

whispered. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
    “You’re damn right you don’t,” I answered through gritted teeth.
    “I thought…” She bit her lip and flushed, “you know, that soon you’d be able to…”
    “Move on,” I finished for her.
    She swallowed hard. “Yeah.”
    Hot tears filled my eyes. “It’s not like that.”
    Gwen looked defeated. “I know it’s not right now. But someday…”
    “There won’t be a someday for me,” I said, finality in each word.
    Gwen made a little noise like she didn’t believe it.
    “Peter was everything I never even let myself dream of,” I said, the words rushing out. “There will never be anyone else like him. He was my…”
    Soul mate.
    That’s what he was. A soul mate I had only gotten to spend two months with.
    It was the honest to God truth. And it was so unbearable that I couldn’t even speak about it. Because my chances of finding someone like him were zero.
    “I have to go,” I said. Tears were already spilling down my cheeks.
    Gwen nodded. It was hard to tell with my blurred vision, but she looked pained as well. “I’ll go with you.”
    “No.” I shook my head fiercely and stood. “Please. Don’t.”
    “Okay,” she whispered.
    I hurried away from the table and past the crowd. Perhaps the people there were looking at me, wondering what was up with the crying woman, but I didn’t care. Each stride I took became longer, carrying me not away from pain, but deeper into it. The dusk was emerging, and the corner streetlamp flickered on as I rushed towards it. From somewhere behind me, the pub’s door opened and closed. Maybe it was Owen. Maybe it wasn’t.
    It didn’t matter.
    Nothing mattered anymore.

C HAPTER T HREE
    Owen
    “T hanks,” I told the bartender as I dropped a bill on the pock marked counter. Grabbing the drinks, I turned and navigated my way through the crowd.
    The whole time I’d stood inside, I wasn’t able to stop thinking about her. The soft pink lips. The wide brown eyes. There was sadness in Claire. That much was obvious. I couldn’t explain it but I burned to know why.
    In addition to her pain, though, there was something else. When I’d stood on that stoop and come face to face with her for the first time, something happened in me. Having her eyes fall on me was like getting struck by lightning and being submerged in a warm bath all at the same time.
    I hadn’t stopped thinking about her all afternoon. After leaving the house, I’d knocked on a few more doors asking if anyone had seen Dharma, but after that, I’d been at a loss as to what to do. I’d ended up just walking around, killing time looking in store fronts and knocking my way through some bushes down by the river.
    Killing time. That’s what I was always doing, wasn’t it?
    Running into the two girls at the pub seemed more than serendipitous, given that I’d just spent hours with Claire on my mind.
    There’s something about her… something…
    I was afraid to even acknowledge the feeling growing inside me. I’d never been a sucker for romance, never thought that people fell head over heels at first sight like they did in movies.
    But I’d never set eyes on Claire before that day either.
    A woman came through the front door of the pub. I hung back, waiting for her to pass. She saw me though and held the door open so I could go first.
    “Thanks,” I said.
    She grinned wide. “You’re welcome.”
    I could feel her eyes on me as I navigated my way to the girls’ table. I couldn’t be bothered with the attention of strangers though — hardly ever, and especially not then.
    A small group of college kids had gathered at the other end of the long table, a golden retriever sitting next to them. The end I’d vacated was half empty. Only Gwen sat there, looking at her phone.
    “Where’s Claire?” I asked, sitting down across from her.
    Gwen sighed. “She left. I’m sorry.”
    “Oh.” I tried to hide my disappointment, but I