Riverstar (3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

ceased to be anything but Benjamin Fleck.
    He pulled away, finally, setting her onto her stool as if she weighed nothing. It was intoxicating the way he tossed her about, handled her, touched her. “Bella, I’m sorry. I don’t know what just happened.” He raked his hand though his short blond hair. “I cannot be in the same house with you and not have this happen time and time again.” His eyes were wild, like a trapped animal.
    “Why don’t you want it to happen time and time again?” she whispered. “Am I really that awful?”
    “You’re beautiful and smart and holy shit, the sexiest woman I’ve ever met but you scare me to death, Bella Webber.” He said it sadly, as if resigned to his fear, knowing it paralyzed him but helpless to fight against it. Then, he turned away, marching out the door, leaving her alone in the kitchen. She picked up his bowl of popcorn and threw it against the wall. It shattered and splintered into a dozen pieces on the floor, the untouched popcorn intermingled with the broken china.
    She put her head onto the counter. This was a mistake, this going north. She should have stayed by the beach where she belonged.
    ***
    Bella ran along the path, breathing hard, the sun warm on the back of her neck, the crisp air filling her lungs. Run, just run , she told herself. Don’t think . Her headphones blared Coldplay, the pounding music matching her pounding feet. The oak and maple leaves were red and orange and yellow, bright under the sun. The ground was damp and muddy as she trudged up the hill, the burn in her calves and thighs a welcome distraction from the ache of Ben’s rejection. She stopped when she reached the top of the hill, leaning against a tree to catch her breath before running the rest of the way back to the house. Once there, she came in through the kitchen door from the deck. Drake was there, looking slightly panicked.
    “Annie’s exhausted. And puking again,” said Drake. “Which means we have to cook.”
    “We?” She touched her chest with her index finger. “I think you mean you. I don’t cook. I eat.”
    “Yeah, well, tonight you’re cooking.”
    “How about take-out? Like Thai?”
    “There’s no Thai take-out here.”
    “Well, there should be.”
    “Dammit, Bella, this is serious.”
    She looked at him, crossing her arms over her chest. “How about we barbeque something? You used to do that in Seattle.”
    “Right, I did, didn’t I? Before Annie started feeding me like a king. Like steaks and chicken? That would be acceptable, wouldn’t it?”
    “Sure. And salad. Yeah, I could make a salad. I guess. You just cut stuff up, right? How hard could that be?”
    She showered and dressed in tight jeans and a light sweater, paying special attention to her makeup. If Ben chose to reject her she would at least remind him what he was missing.
    Drake turned on the gas barbeque and tossed salt and pepper on the steak and chicken breasts while Bella chopped the vegetables she found in the refrigerator.
    ***
    The weather was holding out; it was still clear skies and not yet dark when Linus, looking suave in a blue designer suit, arrived with two of the biggest movies stars in the world. Both Stefan and Genevieve were dressed casually and wore hats and sunglasses. They all lingered in the foyer, exchanging hugs. Stefan was holding a pink box with chocolate frosting smeared on the lid. Bella pointed at the box. “What’s in there?”
    “For you, Bellalicious. Cupcakes. I had them express-shipped from your favorite shop in L.A.”
    “You’re the best.” Bella knew and worked with a lot of beautiful people in her profession but Stefan had to be one of the most extraordinary. He had delicate features, a small nose and a slight but well-defined chin with full lips that gave his face a sultry and refined beauty. And yet, almost strangely, it did not deter from a raw and rugged manly quality conveyed through his vulnerable and almost wild dark green eyes. His eyes