Two Dates Max Read Online Free PDF Page B

sighed and stepped closer to him. I’m pretty sure I ceased to exist for her.
    “Oh, Hank, you know I really care about you.”
    His shoulders sagged and his grin faded. He placed one large palm so gently against the side of her face, I suddenly felt like a voyeur.
    “But?” he asked.
    “But…look at me. I’m a mess. I need to get away from here for a while and straighten things out if we’ll ever have a chance.”
    “I’ll help you, baby. You can stay with me and I’ll take care of you. You know Declan wouldn’t dare come around my place.”
    She looked seriously tempted, biting her lip until he caressed it with his thumb. I wanted to smack her on the back of the head and yell, “Go with him, dumbass!” But of course, it had to be her call.
    “I don’t want you to feel like I’m using you,” she said.
    He laughed and shook his head. “No way. I’ve been wanting you for months. You can use me all up and I’ll go down happily.”
    Okay, I really liked this guy. I cleared my throat to remind them of my presence. Elle blushed and Hank dropped his hand.
    “Guess I need to get my shirt back on,” he said, winking at Elle before walking back to the bedroom.
    We both watched his denim-clad ass as he left.
    “Damn, Elle. If you’ve had that hanging around, why in the hell have you been with Declan ?”
    She snorted out a laugh and shook her head.
    “I had no idea Hank even wanted me until about twenty minutes ago. He came to talk to Declan and found me here trying to pack my clothes. One look at my face and he came unglued. Swore he was going to kill Declan slowly and painfully after nursing me back to health. Oh, Meg. I just don’t know what to do.”
    She laughed on a sob and I pulled her into my arms. I let her cry for a minute, shooing Hank back down the hallway when he made an appearance. He looked reluctant to leave, but just nodded and went back to the bedroom. Did I mention how much I liked him?
    Once Elle finished crying away her initial fears, I helped her pack the rest of her clothes. For having been in the apartment most of the past five years, she had relatively little to pack. I think in the back of her mind she was always ready for a quick getaway.
    “Why in the hell did you decide to run over here this morning, Elle? What if Declan had been here?” I asked as I searched under the bed for a missing shoe.
    She sighed loudly.
    “I couldn’t sleep last night, and while I was thinking things over I remembered him saying he was heading to Austin today. I guess I could’ve waited ’til later but I just wanted to get this over and done with. You know?”
    “Yeah I know.”
    I spotted her shoe behind a pair of Declan’s jeans and grabbed it. She took a final look around her bedroom and we headed to the living room where Hank waited.
    There was nothing else in the apartment she wanted to keep, so we all headed downstairs with just two small boxes and a suitcase.
    Hank walked over to a brand-spanking-new pickup truck. He placed his box in the bed before turning to take the other from me. Elle watched him without a word as if she still couldn’t believe she was going home with him. I hadn’t actually tried to talk her out of it even though I was a bit wary. I didn’t know this guy, but the way he’d been treating her the past few minutes was polar opposite from Declan. That had to count for something.
    He opened the passenger door and gently pried Elle’s suitcase from her hand. True fear showed on her face and he immediately set down the suitcase.
    “What, baby? What is it?”
    “I…I don’t know…”
    “Elle.” I stepped up beside Hank to get in her line of vision. “Go with Hank, honey. He’ll take care of you and I’ll come over tonight to check on you, okay?”
    A tear slipped down her face and she sniffled, but then nodded and took a deep breath. “Okay.”
    Hank picked her suitcase back up and quickly stowed it behind the passenger seat. I noticed him moving faster, as if