Falling for Fate Read Online Free PDF

groomed to take over since he’d graduated from NYU a few weeks ago. This was his last summer of freedom. Relaxing at the beach house for a few months then off to the real world.
    “I’m not sure I’d say I’m anyone’s friend .”
    The redhead raised her heavily sculpted eyebrows. “Well, I’m always in the market for a new friend or two.”
    Her lips were full and thick with lipstick several shades darker than her hair. She had the high-priced-escort look about her that he liked in a woman. But something was off tonight. His heart wasn’t really in it. She’d made it too easy by coming to him. Oh well. No use letting a perfectly good piece go to waste.
    He was about to tell her that he wasn’t looking for friendship but he’d be happy to take her upstairs and give her the grand tour of the beach house. But something glinted out near the water, distracting him. Moonlight reflected off the hair of a small figure in a dress running down the shoreline.
    The last traces of daylight had long since vanished from the sky, she was definitely wearing the wrong clothes for a run, and it wasn’t safe for a woman to be on the beach alone at night. He’d seen more than one story on the news about college co-eds being sexually assaulted or flat-out disappearing.
    “Hey,” he said abruptly, setting his beer on a small table on the balcony. “Tell Keaton I went to check on something.” He was already over the ledge and treading sand when he realized he hadn’t even told Red his name. Oh well. Keaton was probably buried in a blonde somewhere anyways.
    The figure ahead of him was shrinking by the minute. He picked up the pace, wishing he’d worn running shoes instead of Italian loafers. Thank God he worked out every morning. This woman was seriously moving. As he got closer, he slowed as not to scare the living shit out of her.
    She stopped, still oblivious to his approach so far as he could tell, and he jogged close enough to see that her shoulders were shaking slightly. In her left hand, she carried a pair of heels. He was just about to call out and tell her not to freak out when she flung the shoes straight into the ocean.
    Okay. That was unexpected.
    She let out a scream that she probably thought was ferocious but reminded him of a kitten impersonating a lion. He watched as she dropped down into the sand and pulled her knees to her chest.
    Shit. This woman was obviously not having a good night. And he’d come out here to do what? He glanced behind him. As dark as it was, he could still see the lights from his beach house. She probably wasn’t in any immediate danger if he decided to just leave her alone. But there was something about her. Something broken and lost. It called to him as she stared at the ocean, the waves dancing enticingly in their direction. Approaching and receding. Giving and taking. He’d never felt such a powerful draw to a woman. Hell, to anyone.
    He stepped closer. “Hey, um, I’m no expert, but you look like you could use a drink.”
    She startled like he’d expected her to. After jumping to her feet, she began to back away like a frightened animal.
    “Sorry. Didn’t mean to sneak up on you.” He smiled what he hoped wasn’t a creeper leer. “That’s my beach house,” he said, pointing to the lights in the distance. “I saw you and, uh, it’s not really safe out here at night. For a woman. Alone.” Jesus, he sounded like the police. “I mean, I was just going to see if you needed a ride somewhere or whatever. I could walk you to wherever you’re going, make sure you got there safe and all.” He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans and waited for her to tell him to fuck off.
    Surprisingly, she didn’t.
    Moist eyes a color he couldn’t immediately identify stared up at him, drawing him downward as if he were being pulled into the ocean next to them. Her creamy, bronze skin begged to be touched. When she smiled, two tiny dimples formed at either side of her perfect mouth.