Stoking the Embers (New Adult Romantic Suspense): The Complete Series Read Online Free PDF Page A

moments pass and she sniffles, “When?”
    “I threw him out last night, but it wasn’t an official break up. Want to volunteer to do it for me?”
    She laughs, or was it a scoff? “I’ll go with you, absolutely. We could take him, right?”
    I rub my arms, feeling the bruises he left sing their presence as my fingers graze their surface.
    “I don’t know. Maybe us and the football team.”
    She touches my hand. “Right. Crazy can’t be underestimated.”
    I shiver.
    Looking at me, she narrows her eyes and sticks out her hand. “Here, give me your phone.”
    “Why?”
    “Give it.” She bats her eyelashes. “Trust me.”
    Warily, I hand it over and watch her thumbs fly over the screen. Her lips are moving as she types and when she’s finishes, she hands it back to me.
    “There, I typed it, but you have to be the one to hit ‘send’.”
    Looking down, I read the text message she’s written for Jerome: “In light of our current issues, I feel it’s best we no longer see each other. I wish you well and great happiness. I’ll mail any belongings you’ve left here in the next couple days.”
    I blow out a breath. It’s actually much nicer than I’d imagine Beth would type. She laughs, intuiting my thoughts. “I know, I know… ‘fuck you, get lost’ would be better.”
    My thumb hovers over the ‘send’ button, fear and uncertainty doing a Tango on my quivering hands. Was this the right thing? Would it only make it worse?
    Grow up, Stephanie, I tell myself and hit the button. When I do, I’m not sure which one of us—Beth or me—gasps the loudest. We look at each other, eyes large as saucers, then back at the phone and wait.
    And wait.
    Half an hour later, we’re still waiting, staring at the phone as if expecting it to come alive. He’d seen the message, I’d gotten the little ‘seen’ verification. What would happen next?
    For something to do, Beth grabs my manicure kit and does her best to salvage my nails. We don’t say a word, as if a verbal exchange will wake the ghost.
    An hour passes, and still nothing. Then, one hour and seven minutes later, my phone comes alive, assaulting us with a flash and a beep.
    Huddling together, like two girls at their first scary movie, we view the message together. I’m not sure what I expect, his response could have gone numerous ways. What I got was:
    Roses are red,
Violets are every girl’s wishes.
All I wanted from you,
Was your love and your kisses.
I could give you anything you dream of,
But you choose a fireman instead.
Before I’m done with you,
You’ll wish you were dead.

Chapter 5—Ken
    I need to stop eating out when I’m at home. I’ve gotten spoiled with food at the firehouse, and I’m going to get fat eating fast food the rest of the time. What the fuck; I may as well go to the store. Maybe Stephanie will be around. It’s as good an excuse as any.
    I hate July in Vegas… well other than the pool and the girls all wearing skimpy stuff. Walking outside feels like getting hit with a giant-size blow dryer on high, and it’s only eight in the morning. But it’s hard to focus on the fringe benefits when I’m frying like an egg on a skillet.
    I realize I can’t wear my jeans and shirt, so screw it, I change into my blue LVFD t-shirt and throw on some shorts. Not those long baggy shorts that look like gangbangers shorts, my gym shorts.
    I start walking to the store since it’s a short mile from my apartment, but before I get to the corner, I turn around. I like the meditation that walking gives me. It’s much better than sitting on a mat in a square room saying ‘om’. It also gets me out of the house on my days off, into nature and all that crap. But this morning, I’m feeling the need for speed, another kind of meditation. Speed wins out.
    Most of my buddies at the station are married or with serious girlfriends. I dread going over to their houses since they’re always trying to set me up. I hate blind dates, and I hate the