Seducing Phoebe (Crimson Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page B

warmth from the cup would take away the chill she had woken up with. For a few minutes after she’d woken, she’d forgotten all that had happened the day before. The moment she’d lifted her left hand and noticed it was bare, everything had come rushing back in all its Technicolor glory.
    The ringing of her landline caused her to jump and spill her coffee over her hand. She swore as the hot liquid hit her flesh. She grabbed a nearby cloth and wiped her hand clean. There was no way she was going to pick up the phone. She wasn’t ready to talk to Marco. She gave a short laugh — why had Marco been the first person she thought would be calling her? She’d dumped him the night before. The incessant ringing stopped and she let herself relax.
    Her cell phone began to ring. Whoever it was, they were persistent. She walked over to her handbag and pulled her phone out. Sophie’s name flashed up on the screen.
    Phoebe slid her finger across the screen, connecting the call. “Hi, I’m fine.”
    Sophie’s laughter drifted down the line. “No you’re not. But I’m not going to argue with you about that.”
    “You’re all heart.” Sarcasm dripped from every word. “So what do you want to know?”
    The pause on the other end of the phone lengthened and Phoebe wondered what was taking Sophie so long to answer the question. “Marco was here first thing this morning. He looked like shit.”
    Phoebe pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at it, surprised by Sophie’s language — it was so unlike her. She put the phone back to her ear, tightening her hold. “Oh.” She couldn’t say anything else. She didn’t know what she should say.
    “I still think you’re making a mistake,” Sophie said quietly. “But I’m not going to force you into something you’re not ready for.”
    “I saw John last night,” Phoebe blurted out. She hadn’t planned on letting Sophie know about his little visit, but the words wouldn’t be held back.
    “What? Again? Are you serious? Are you mad? Where? When?”
    Phoebe could’ve laughed at the comical nature of the questions firing from Sophie. But she was afraid that if she did start laughing, her laughter would soon turn to sobs. She took a deep breath before answering her friend. “He was waiting for me after Marco left last night.”
    “What did he want? You didn’t do anything with him, did you?”
    “No, I didn’t do anything with him. He wanted to talk. I told him to go away.”
    “Does that mean you’ve changed your mind? That you’re going to go ahead and marry Marco?”
    That was the big question and Phoebe didn’t know the answer to it. She knew she didn’t want to be with John after the way he’d acted last night. She didn’t believe his declarations of love were sincere or meaningful. They were empty words, just like their relationship had been. She’d been a fool to be taken in by the texts he’d sent. A fool to believe that the grass was greener on the other side of the fence.
    But even so, in some part of her mind she was glad that John had turned back up in her life. What his presence and messages had done was highlight the holes in her relationship with Marco. She realized she didn’t want to settle for a marriage without a semblance of love in the relationship. The only thing was she wasn’t sure Marco could give her was the love she now so desperately desired. And if she wanted to be loved unconditionally, it was only reasonable that Marco should expect that from her. Could she give it to him? What exactly did she feel for him? Was it love or was lust coloring her thinking? If what she felt for him was a forever type of love — and she couldn’t be sure that it was — could she trust that he wouldn’t take her love and then stomp all over it before discarding it?
    “Phoebe, are you going to marry Marco now?”
    “No, I’m not.” She paused, taking a deep breath to build up the courage to tell Sophie the truth about her relationship with