Secrets from Her Past: Scandalous, Book 2 Read Online Free PDF Page B

better and stronger than before.
    Corinne refused to believe that her career was over. She’d come too far and worked too hard to just let this bad press and all these accusations ruin her forever. She was still young, still had fight left in her, and she planned on using every ounce of her power to prove to not only everyone around her, but also to herself that she wasn’t down for the count.
    Running late at night was always her best stress-reliever. Most people preferred to get their workouts in, in the morning, but Corinne had never been like everyone else. At the end of the day she would rather pound out the demons and stress and unwind before bed, and she did that best by spending some alone time with herself, her thoughts and her running shoes.
    As she moved farther down the private beach area—thankfully this was closed off to all except the few homeowners who lived on her street—she noticed a light on the back patio area of Dylan’s home. And then she saw a shadowy figure sitting on a wide swing. She knew by the shape of the broad shoulders that it was Dylan. A man built that fine permanently embedded his image into your head. He was still sexy as sin and she would be lying to herself if she didn’t admit that their kiss in her bedroom hadn’t left her aching and craving more.
    When she’d left at seventeen, she’d left her heart behind. Even at such a young age there had been no doubt in her mind that she would spend the rest of her life with him. She loved him so much then…so much that she had to let him go. She had to leave in order to not only protect herself, but her family and Dylan.
    “Late for a run, isn’t it?” he called down to her.
    Corinne had barely been running for a few minutes, so she wasn’t even winded. She moved farther up the beach toward his patio. Silly, really, to think just because he called out to her meant this was an invite for her to enter his property.
    “I like running at night,” she told him as she approached.
    The darkness was on her side. The soft glow of his back door’s light lit up only a small portion of his patio, and Dylan was too far away from the door for her to make out his facial expressions—which meant he couldn’t see her very well either. Thankfully, she wouldn’t have to worry about him seeing her true feelings.
    “I remember that about you.” Dylan’s low voice washed over her. “You always did run at night, except in track meets.”
    Corinne wrapped her arms around her midsection. She’d only donned a sports bra and a pair of running shorts, thinking she’d be alone. But now she was self-conscience because…well, because Dylan was here and she wanted him. There. She could admit the awkwardness, if just to herself.
    “You always were an amazing track star,” he went on. “Ironic how I never knew just how well you could run.”
    The last part sounded more like a mutter to himself and she knew he wasn’t referring to running on the track. Yeah, she’d run all right. She’d run from this town, from him, from the life built around her that had turned out to be a total lie.
    She’d run from it all, and if faced with the same decision today, she’d do it again.
    “I know you always run at night, but do you always do it so late now?”
    Corinne shrugged. “It’s not usually this late, but I’ve had a lot on my mind today and was busy. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep, so I decided to run.”
    The soft flow of the ocean behind her filled the silence as she waited for him to say something, but maybe he was just waiting for her to run along…literally.
    “What are you doing out here?” she asked, because in all honesty, she just didn’t want to leave his company. She didn’t have many ties to her past and the few she did, she really didn’t want to let go of.
    He eased back in the wide canvas-style swing and stretched one muscular arm across the back. “I usually sit out here and do my thinking. You’re not the only one with