The Heart Knows What the Heart Wants Read Online Free PDF

She spun on her heels and stormed out the door.
    She had no business being behind the wheel of a car, but he made no move to stop her. He sucked in a deep breath and slid down against the counter until his butt connected with the scuffed tiles of the floor. He grabbed clumps of his hair and stared up at the ceiling . Kelsey was bad news, but that didn't stop him from craving the feel of her tight little body wrapped around him, or any of the other sensory pleasures from his past.
    The rest of his shift slowed to a crawl, and he was never so happy in his life to see the minute hand finally hit midnight. He turned off the outside signs and then did his nightly ritual of making sure everything was clean and ready for Ami in the morning. He stowed the money from the cash register into the hidden safe, locked it, and dropped the key into his jean pocket.
    As an afterthought, he pulled a bottle of Mountain Dew from the cooler and tucked two bucks into the empty cash register. Shane was no thief, and he'd never take advantage of his aunt, not after everything she'd done for him.
    He locked the front doors and made his way around to the wooden stairs at the side of the building that led up to his apartment. Once inside, he pre-heated the oven for a frozen cheese pizza and twisted off the lid of his soda, taking a big gulp.
    While waiting for the oven to heat up, he strode across the floor toward the back window. Shane had constructed a narrow deck outside that was large enough for him to sit comfortably with his telescope. It's where he found his inner peace, studying the ever-changing patterns in the nighttime sky.
    When the weather was warm, he sat outside nearly every night memorizing the constellations, often losing track of time. It helped him to focus his thoughts on something he enjoyed doing that wasn't illegal, immoral, or just plain bad for him. Sometimes, he'd doze off, only to wake later to find that the night's sky had disappeared, making way for dawn's arrival. He'd crawl back through the window and collapse into a restful sleep.
    Tonight, Shane opened the window and pushed his telescope out onto the wooden platform ahead of him. With a twist of his expertly trained fingers, he made a few adjustments and was immediately rewarded when he peered through the eyepiece by the view of Uranus.
    After a few minutes of stargazing, he ducked back through the window and put the pizza in the oven. He set the timer on his watch and went back outside. He hoped to get a glimpse of the comet that scientific communities everywhere had been discussing for months. News, online forums, and blogs speculated whether or not the comet's close encounter with the sun this week would obliterate it.
    He never saw the comet, but he did make a wish on a shooting star. He didn't believe in stuff like that, but figured it never hurt to have luck on his side, just in case.

Chapter Eight

    Star couldn't remember the last time she'd slept so peacefully. She sighed contentedly and kicked free of the tangled covers. She pulled on her ratty old robe and made her way down the hall to the bathroom so she could take a shower before going downstairs.
    She stood in the tiny, steam-filled room and wiped the fog from the mirror. She took a long, hard look at herself in the reflection and frowned at her appearance. She ran the pad of her thumb over the dark circles beneath her eyes. "Let's face it, you look like hell," she mumbled to herself.
    Donning a clean pair of jeans and a well-worn, gray sweatshirt, she headed downstairs to the kitchen to join Neona for breakfast. As soon as her foot hit the landing, she heard voices coming from the kitchen. She hadn't counted on anyone else joining them, and she especially didn't expect to see Shane as she rounded the corner.
    Star combed her fingers through her still damp, wavy locks and wished she had taken more time with her appearance when Shane peered at her from over the top of his coffee mug. For some reason, he