Salvaged Soul (The Ignited Series Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

majority of the island. I was one of the few she had in her corner, and for her safety, I had to maintain an appropriate distance.
    In public anyway.
    I shot her a grin. “Come on. Let’s head back to the dorms. I need to shower, and we could not pretend for a while, and grab a late lunch.”
    It sounded like an amazing idea to me, and from the shy grin that emerged on Kris’s face when she realized what I was suggesting, I knew that she agreed.
    Ten minutes later, back in my room, I turned to her with a teasing smile. “Do you mind if I take a shower now, or would you rather I stay all gross and sweaty?”
    She shoved me in the general direction of the bathroom with a smile. “Go.”
    I waved a hand around the room. “Make yourself comfortable.”
    The fact that I was able to leave the room, with Kris sitting on the edge of my bed, was a miracle. The fact that I managed to get through a shower amazed me. But nothing was more impressive than the idea that came to me in the middle of that shower. I was so impressed with myself that I sped through the rest of it in record time.
    After my inadvertent screw ups earlier, this would definitely get me back in her good graces, and I was going to win brownie points as world’s best boyfriend. For one with limitations anyway.
    She was sitting cross-legged on the bed, my trainer’s manual on her lap, when I emerged from the bathroom. She lifted her head and that stubborn strand of hair fell forward, partially covering her right eye. Usually, I would have been struck by the urge to put it in its rightful place, but this time my footsteps faltered at the sight of her.
    She has no idea how beautiful she is.
    “Checking your manual to see what torture you have planned for us next,” she said as she tossed the book on the nightstand, completely unaware of what she had done to me.
    I turned and pretended to examine the scruff on my chin in the mirror while I regained my composure. “You already know most of it,” I tossed over my shoulder. “You’re the best one in the class.”
    “That’s not saying much,” she snorted.
    I turned around, but decided it was best, for now, to prop myself up against the dresser, on the other side of the room from her. At least until I told her about my brilliant idea.
    “Hey, um . . .” I started, suddenly unsure. Suddenly nervous. Why do I have to turn into a bumbling idiot around her all the time? “I thought of something while I was in the shower.”
    Her eyebrows raised. “That sounds interesting.”
    She made it really hard to keep my distance. I looked at the floor to keep from looking at her, because looking at her made it too difficult to maintain the five feet between us. And being too close to her meant I wouldn’t be able to explain my idea.
    Two minutes. I could wait two minutes . . .
    “I was thinking about earlier,” I finally managed, “about what you said about us not getting to be ourselves, and thought maybe it would be a good idea for us to get off the island for a little bit.”
    “You think they’ll let me off the island?” She sounded skeptical.
    Honestly, so was I, but I had friends in high places. Friends who could get things done. Well, one friend really.
    “I think I can make it happen,” I said.
    “And do what?”
    I lifted a shoulder. “Anything. I don’t know . . .” Only now did I realize that I probably should have planned this out a little better. Precious brownie points would be lost for poor presentation. “We can go somewhere, do something stupid . . .”
    “Stupid? Oh, well, that sounds tempting.”
    “I don’t mean stupid. I mean . . . simple. We’ve never done simple.”
    “I think we’re way beyond simple.”
    “Yeah, but wouldn’t it be nice to not have to pretend? Just for a few hours? It would be nice to get a chance to be us, without having to worry about someone seeing us.”
    Kris’s face scrunched up, and eventually broke into a smile. “Are you asking me out on a date