Love Me Read Online Free PDF Page B

hour?’
    â€˜At the top of the ride, yeah.’
    â€˜You’re completely mad!’ I exclaim, angry, head crowded with questions and foreboding. Why did he buy the bike? What did it mean for us? And could anybody survive a specimen like the Honda? It had a glint in its fairings. It was too pretty not to hurt him. I could see it.
    â€˜You want some?’ he asked, offering me the spliff.
    â€˜No, I don’t smoke. You know that.’
    â€˜You never used to say that before,’ said Zed absently, taking a deep pull, speaking through his nose. I heated. He grinned. ‘Remember, I’m the one who taught you.’ Memories of us flooded my mind. I sat, pinned by them.
    â€˜Please don’t tell me you ride that thing when you’re buzzing?’
    â€˜What you think?’ Zed grinned. ‘You a rock chick, right? When you gonna get on the back and let me take you for a spin?’
    I imagined my arms around his waist, my face in his back. Salt and musk. ‘When George W. Bush converts to Islam, mate. Sorry.’
    â€˜Wow! It’s like
that
?’ He re-lit his spliff. ‘I really think you could use some of this, ma. You’re kind of uptight right now. Lewis has got some connections, man. This haze will make you feel
no
stress.’
    â€˜Where
is
Lewis?’ I said, hoping he wouldn’t be back soon. Lewis was sarcastic, posh and quietly observant enough to make me feel self-conscious. The kind of guy who would notice your earrings or handbag. He had famous parents, I think. He got photographed for magazines.
    â€˜Lewis is travelling for a few weeks doing some events,’ smiled Zed, picking up on my not-so-subtle dislike. ‘It’s just me right now.’
    â€˜Oh,’ I said. ‘Right.’
    He carefully adjusted his long, solid body and ended up slightly closer than he was before. I really could touch him and no one would walk in on us. I could lay my face in his neck, run my hands over his chest and his smooth head. I could unzip and unbutton him. We could kiss. Oh God. We could
kiss.
And what do you do when you’vewanted something for so long and finally here it is, and maybe all you have to do now is not mess up and it can be yours?
    â€˜Go on then,’ I said.
    â€˜What?’
    â€˜Pass the dutchie, Rasta.’
    He spluttered, coughing and laughing at the same time. ‘I was only kidding, E. You can’t handle that
Hendrix
, girl . . .’
    â€˜Come on!’
    â€˜Alright,’ he said, with a shrug, smiling again on one side of his mouth. ‘But I ain’t takin’ your ass to no emergency room.’
    The first pull made me cough almost hard enough to gag. I looked through my watery eyes at Zed, who was shaking his head and giggling. Actually giggling.
    â€˜Wamore!’
    â€˜You OK?’ he asked, very insincerely, and took back the spliff. ‘Drink some Coke, woman. I told you you couldn’t handle it.’
    â€˜One more!’
    â€˜You’re crazy . . .’
    â€˜Just pass it over.’ And this time I managed to hold it down. Smoke seared my throat, fired off a quiet explosion in the back of my head. Suddenly there was s . . . p . . . a . . . c . . . e.
    He took a deep inhale of the spliff, held it, then let the smoke out slow and controlled. He held it out to me again with a challenge in his sleepy-lidded eyes. Go on, then. If you’re so tough. His lips. My lips.
    I did and started to giggle, despite myself. And he smiled, despite himself. We went back and forth for a while, until the room was milky with smoke.
    â€˜Here,’ he said. ‘Not much left.’
    â€˜No it’s OK. You have it.’
    â€˜Hey . . .’ he said, ‘did you leave an earring last time you were here? And your Pharcyde CD?’
    â€˜Is it pink?’
    â€˜What?’ he asked, leaning his head back.
    â€˜The earring.’
    â€˜Yeah.’
    â€˜Wow! I’ve been looking for