Riley's Pond (New Adult Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page B

Brandon was with his girlfriend Jamie, which hopefully spared him from jail, and Shar from her father .
    I blinked away the vivid nightmare and stepped around Riley. “Shar, it’s okay. This is between Riley and me.” Worry clouded her gray eyes. I winked and forced a smile. “We just want to go somewhere private and you know, talk. ”
    Her shoulders relaxed somewhat, but a doubtful expression showed she didn’t believe me. “I’ll meet you for lunch,” she said and turned back toward the school.
    Riley wrenched the truck door open. “Get in,” he demanded. I didn’t argue and climbed over the console into the other seat. Permanent black streaks marked our retreat. A few silent minutes later, he pulled into the library parking lot at the edge of town. The city’s granite marker at the end of the property looked like some large creature took a bite out of the corner.
    “Why are we here ?” I asked, playing coy. He didn’t answer and climbed out of the truck, coming around to my side. I almost dropped to the pavement when he dragged me out.
    “Okay that’s enough, Riley. If someone sees you acting like some abusive lunatic, you’ll get arrested.”
    His cheeks puffed in and out. He reached around my shoulders, gentler, pulling me to the middle of the small, tree-dotted park to the side of the building. We stopped at a picnic table in the far corner hidden by a clump of scrub oak.
    Riley perched on top of the table, resting his feet on the bench. He twisted the strings of his hoody mindlessly around his finger. “So. Which tree did they find your half-naked body passed out under?
    I gasped. “Riley, I’m tired of this game. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
    “Tell me it isn’t true.” He pointed at the broken marker. “Deny it to my face that you weren’t with Jax when he hit that.”
    We played out an optic tug-o-war. I crossed my arms in defiance over my chest. Riley flipped elm seedlings into the air, letting Nature’s “helicopters” flutter to the grass.
    “It’s going to be in the paper, Kaylee, so you may as well fess up.”
    “They can’t! I’m a minor!”
    With a big mouth.
    Riley hopped off the picnic table nudging my shoulder as he walked past me. “We’re so done, bitch.”
    The world bubbled behind watery curtain when I suddenly realized I watched the better of two brothers disappear. I ran after him, throwing myself in front of him. “No! Riley, don’t say that. I’m sorry, really sorry. Jaxson means nothing to me. I love you. ”
    Riley squared my shoulders. His eyes glistened. “Really? Love me? I doubt you know the meaning of the word. Face it. If you really loved me, you wouldn’t have gone after my brother.” He kissed my forehead, and continued to his truck.
    “Hey, I need a ride back to school.” He kept walking. “You can’t just leave me here!”
    Riley spun around, hands facing out. “Call somebody who cares, Kaylee. There’s someone more important than you I need to see, one whose new nose needs rearranging.”

Five
    RECKONING
    Jaxson
    I needed to pee, but couldn’t wake up enough to ring the buzzer and summon my Nazi nurse. Maybe I’d get someone halfway pleasant for the day shift. The urgent pain won over the need for sleep and I carefully shifted onto my good side to reach the buzzer. I opened my eyes, blinking in disbelief…or horror. Riley sat in the chair next to the bed, close enough I could see the scar just below his right brow from where he fell and hit a rock when we were working on the pond.
    “Shit.”
    Riley grabbed my throat. “You ass! How could you do that to her, let alone your own brother.”
    “Riley!” I coughed. “Damn, ugh, let go.” I pried his fingers from my neck, feeling the IV needle in the top of my hand, roll with the muscles. “Hell!” I choked.
    He dropped back in the chair, glaring at me. “You had no right, Jaxson! Stealing Kaylee is low, even for you.”
    “I didn’t steal her little bro. She