Just Breathe (Blue #1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

couch. “Well, that or I considered the possibility you were still drunk,” she says, laughing.
    As I lean against the counter, I grab a drink of water before setting down the bottle. “I think I was just suffering from a mental stupor after losing consciousness,” I lie. I know why I had forgotten my shirt, but I’m not going to tell her. She’d never let me live it down if she knew my thoughts had been clouded with everything Lucas— the way his muscles move beneath his skin, how his husky voice caresses my name, and most importantly, why he has my phone.
    Once again, my focus turns to him. I can’t figure out what’s so alluring about this guy. Why do I feel attracted to him?
    Wait! L-U-C-A-S, I spell out internally.
    “Dar!” I yell and slap my hands against the counter. “Does Lucas also happen to be known as Luca?” My body stiffens until I’m standing straight as an arrow.
    “Yes, I was about to say that to you before you showered, but you passed out. Then, you decided to pull some stripper trend on me, coming out here dressed like you were.”
    I audibly exhale and shake my head.
    Dar pinches her brow, confused by my reaction. “What’s the big deal about one letter? I mean, yeah, I know you were already tripping about him. What’s the difference if his name is Luca or Lucas? Either way, he’s still hot, right?” She purses her lips and drops her hands to her hips.
    I glare at her in disbelief. “Dar-tan-ya,” I say, exaggerating every syllable of her name. “How you are not seeing the bigger picture here astonishes me.” My eyes bug out, and my mouth hangs open. I shake my head. “At least when he was simply Lucas, he wasn’t a suspected murderer or a player. You know, the way I had pegged Luca.”
    She tilts her head back and laughs at me as she rounds the corner of the kitchen. “Cassandra Blair, what in the hell are you talking about? Luca, a.k.a. Lucas, is neither of those things. I have no idea where you get these crazy ideas. I think you need to get your head examined.” She twirls her finger beside her temple, implying that I’m crazy. She grabs my hand and pulls me behind her to the living room.
    “Dar, the door to The Hot Spot has ‘Luca Da Lady Killah’ painted on it. I’m not making up this shit.” I pull my hand from hers, and she turns to face me. “I couldn’t,” I state, as I wait for her reply.
    She shakes her head in confusion, and her cheeks puff out from her hefty laugh.
    “What is so funny?” I force out each word through my clenched teeth.
    She sits and brings her laughter to a mere giggle before speaking. Each time she laughs it adds to my frustration. Dar pats the cushion beside her, motioning for me to sit. “Well, Cass, you see…Hmm… Where to start.” She taps her nose with her finger as she contemplates. “I know! First off, Lucas a.k.a. Luca is a friend of Johnny’s.” She pauses long enough to look up and see me nod my head. She crosses her legs and folds her arms across one another, letting me know this is about to take a while. “The road trip I took with Johnny to Baton Rouge is the first time I hung out with Lucas. Do you remember the summer crush I had after the trip?”
    “I do.”
    Her behavior is extremely odd. She’s never been the type to shy away from anything. She uncrosses her arms and then begins to stare at her hands as she twiddles her thumbs. “It was Lucas. Only then, I called him Luca because that’s what his friends called him. I tried to do anything that would make him see me more as his peer and not Johnny’s kid sister. Cass, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you who he was before, but it really didn’t come up in conversation, until now. After we started school, I met Hunter, and the rest is history,” she says in a matter-of-fact voice. “Hunter licked all my wounds and honestly made me forget about Luca. Anyhow, you know how I told you Johnny used to work at The Hot Spot?” She looks at me to make sure I’m