Emily Kimelman - Sydney Rye 04 - Strings of Glass Read Online Free PDF Page B

reaching up and kissing it. Shocked
by the thought I dipped my head onto his chest again.
    Blue
stood and I turned to see Dan walking down the path. When he saw me his eyes
hardened. Mulberry turned to look. Seeing Dan, he unwrapped his arm from around
me. We both stood.
    “Hey,”
Dan said.
    “Hey,”
Mulberry said, his voice gruff. He extended his hand and Dan took it, his chest
puffed out, and a scowl on his face. “I was just
leaving.”
    “Yeah?”
    Mulberry
turned to me and then back to Dan. “You’re a lucky man,” he said.
    Dan
seemed to soften. “Why don’t you stay for dinner?”
He smiled tightly. “I know Monica would love that.”
    Mulberry
laughed. “I’m sure,” he said grinning, “but I’ve got to
go.”
    “A
case?”
    Mulberry
nodded. “I came to try to tempt your
lady away to help but she won’t have it,” he said,
looking over at me. I dipped my head looking down at my wet feet, pruney from
how long they’d swung in the pool. “Says she’s happy,” Mulberry
continued, turning back to Dan.
    Dan just
nodded. “I hope so,” he said.
    “It
was good to see you,” Mulberry said to Dan. “Mind if I have one more
minute with her before I go?”
    Dan’s
jaw tightened but he nodded and walked toward our hut. Blue followed him,
tapping his head into Dan’s hand, looking for more of a greeting. Mulberry
turned to me. “If you ever want to blow shit up or anything call me,
OK?”
    “You
know there is no one I would rather die with,” I said quietly.
    Mulberry
smiled softly and then stepping close to me, too close, he reached up and
brushed my bangs aside, looking at the scars on my
forehead. He leaned down and brushed a kiss onto the pink line that ran along
my eyebrow into my hairline. Then ran his thumb along the thicker line that
puckers the skin under my left eye. He stepped even closer so that our bodies
touched. Tilting my chin up so that he was looking into my eyes he said,
“I don’t want to die with you, Sydney,
but if you ever want to live again…” He
leaned in and kissed me on the lips, softly, almost chastely, except for the
electric shock that ran between us.
    I
stepped back and he smiled. I felt that my cheeks were flushed red. Without
another word Mulberry turned and walked up the path toward the main house. My
heart thumped in my chest. I turned toward our hut and Dan was standing there,
a murderous look on his face.

GETTING
INTO IT
    I walked
up the path towards him, guilt heavy on my shoulders.
    “You
want to go get some dinner?” I asked Dan.
    He was
chewing on his lip. “What was that?” he asked, gesturing toward where
Mulberry and I just stood.
    “What?”
I said, walking by him headed up to our cabana. Blue
followed me, pushing his head into my hand.
    “What?
Really?” He followed me. “Are
you kidding?”
    “We’re
old friends,” I said, not turning to look at him.
    “That’s
not how I say goodbye to my friends.”
    I
climbed the few steps onto our veranda and pushed through the door. Blue ran to
his bed and picked up a bone Monica had brought him from the market. He pranced
over to me displaying his prize.
    “Come
on,
Dan, there is nothing between me and Mulberry, we’ve just been through a lot
together,” I said, hoping that was the truth but suddenly unsure.
    “That
didn’t look like nothing,” Dan said, his voice a low rumble. “That
looked like he kissed you.”
    “Hardly,”
I said,
pulling my dress over my head.
    “Then
how come your cheeks are red? You think I can’t tell
what’s going on with you?”
    I sighed
as I pulled jeans out of my dresser. “Come on, let’s just go get some
dinner, OK?”
    “No,
it’s not OK!”
    I turned
to look at him, a tank top in my hand, my jeans
unbuttoned. “You’re acting a little out of control,” I said.
    Dan
stepped up to me. “I don’t ask much of you Sydney, do I?”
    “What?”
    “Have
I asked much of you, anything at all really?”
    “No,”
I said.
    He was
standing right in