Darkest Love Read Online Free PDF Page B

another’s misery , Annie thought, watching the other woman’s slender hands pushing the buttons on the car stereo. Your best friend is no exception.
    â€œYou love to push my buttons, don’t you?” Annie said.
    Lily smacked the steering wheel, stopping at a light. She turned to Annie, showing her a flash of brown iris, then back to the street. “To be honest, I was worried you would do that again. With Rain. I knew you would, when I heard you’d be on Sivu together. Now…well, I am annoyed. I’m annoyed you’re going to be mopey for weeks. I’ll have to clean up his mess.”
    â€œSo you badger me on awards night?” Annie said, eyes filling with tears. “When we’re not even out of the car park ? And when he’s just beat me to an award?”
    Lily zoomed off, taking the car to 60 mph in a frantic, frustrated second as the light turned green. “Don’t be like that.”
    â€œAnd you throw in a crack about my hidden corsetry? Spanx, Lily?”
    Her friend’s shoulders relaxed. Annie could see she was sorry. “You know I’m jealous of your curves, Ann. Your tits are as big as my head.”
    Annie had to laugh at that. You’re gorgeous, Lil. The speed ramped up and the window descended as a much-more-welcome push of Lily’s finger sent fresh night air into the car. Annie closed her eyes and eased her head back into the rest, examining the starry sky in the window.
    â€œI’m also annoyed because you’ll probably want to go home now. And we both look good.” Lily winked at her, then flipped the vanity mirror and examined her mascara.
    â€œI wasn’t planning to go to the after-party, no.”
    â€œCome on,” Lily urged. “You can flirt with the other guys. Make him jealous.”
    â€œHe won’t even notice me. He’ll be the one surrounded, Lil. And anyway…” Annie fixed her friend with a stare. “…the last thing I want is more people whispering about my sex life.”
    Lily winked. “They’re anthropologists, Annie. Their conclusions are sure to be measured and thoughtful.”
    Annie scoffed. “Their conclusions will be something along the lines of ‘cock-hungry disgrace.’ And my papers will never be read the same way again. A big slutty shadow will fall over them.”
    â€œCongrats on the Kaamo stuff, by the way.”
    â€œThanks.” As the lights of Manhattan zipped past and the mood mellowed in the friend-filled car, Annie had a change of heart. The night was very glittery. And it was only ten o’clock.
    And, though she would never say it to Lily, she really wanted to see if Rain would talk to her at the party.
    I am truly an embarrassment. “Let’s go, Lil. What the hell .”
    The other woman squeaked in excitement and reached over to give her a perilous high five.
    â€œEyes on the road, you maniac!” Annie returned the palm smack then closed her eyes, trying to plan how she would cope if Rain didn’t come over.

Chapter 4
    Rain was surrounded by colleagues from Vassar, Oxford, Harvard and Brown when Annie and Lily walked in to the after-party venue: Guastavino’s on East 59th Street.
    They came face-to-face with Rain’s back. Annie could see he was clutching a snifter of cognac. He shifted from foot to foot as he answered questions from beaming faces that were, Annie had to admit, doing a good job of concealing any jealousy.
    Some of those guys weren’t nominated , Annie reasoned. But a couple had been: Merv Stratton from Brown, in particular, had always struck her as the jealous type, sulking at conferences when his ideas weren’t listened to, and passive-aggressively attacking whoever had taken control of the discussion. Stratton had to be reeling at the loss.
    â€œPoor Merv,” said Lily, as if she’d read Annie’s mind. Lily worked for the biology department at Brown and had done