Werewolf Upstairs Read Online Free PDF Page A

her cheeks. “To tell you the truth, I’m a little embarrassed you overheard what I was thinking. I’m not sure I want anyone listening to my warped mind.”
    Konrad wrapped an arm around her and gave a side squeeze. “Don’t worry; I won’t tell a soul how warped you are.”
    “Hey!”
    He laughed. “I was just messing with you. I think you’re beautiful. Inside and out.”
    She gazed at him as if mesmerized. No man had ever said she was beautiful, at least not convincingly, but his eyes were telling the truth. He really thinks I’m beautiful!
    “ Inside and out. ”
    “Now cut that out. I just said I don’t want you listening to me while I’m thinking.”
    “Then don’t think so loud.”
    “Don’t think so…what?”
    “I doubt I hear all of your thoughts, just the ones that come across clearly.”
    Roz crossed her arms and pouted. “Oh, that’s just great. Now I’ll have to keep my mind a jumble, in order to have any privacy?”
    Konrad shrugged. “This is new to me too. I guess we’ll have to figure it out together. Let’s go home.” He kept his arm around her and guided her to walk beside him. She wanted to slip her arm around his waist too, but regardless of what just happened, it seemed too soon.
    “Maybe I can talk to my brother about it. He might know if there’s a shut-off button.”
    “Has he experienced telepathy?”
    “No, but he…well, he’s closer to the rest of the family than I am. He can probably ask them for me.”
    “Oh, you’ve had a falling out with your family?”
    “You could say that.”
    “I don’t know what I’d do without my mother and brother.” My stepfather can go to hell, though.
    “What did your stepfather do?”
    “Oh, damn. Did I think that out loud?”
    He smiled. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell. But I’d like to know, so I don’t do the same thing.”
    She snorted. “If you did, the circumstances would be totally different.” Like mutually consensual.
    “Oh, no! You mean he—”
    “Get the fuck out of my head, will you?”
    Konrad stopped walking and leaned over to give her a warm, tender hug. He whispered in her ear, “I’m sorry that happened to you.”
    She gently pushed him away. “It wasn’t when I was a kid or anything. I was in high school, and it only happened once. He came home from a party drunk. My mother went right to bed. He…he came into my room uninvited and tried to kiss me a little too amorously. He put his hand on my breast, and I shoved him off.”
    “Crap. That must have been frightening.”
    “Yeah, not to mention disgusting.”
    “Did your mother ever find out?”
    “Yeah, I told her, even though he told me not to. He said it was my word against his, and he’d deny it, but I figured she deserved to know.”
    “That was brave of you. A lot of girls would have kept it bottled up inside and acted out in some other way. Did she protect you?”
    “She booted his ass soon after I told her. Then we both went to counseling.”
    He squeezed her shoulder and continued walking. “Thank God for that. Some mothers don’t believe their own daughters. I saw some of that as a teacher. That’s when the kids act out to get the attention of someone—anyone—who might help.”
    “Yeah, in that way I was fortunate.”
    “How old were you?”
    “Seventeen. Too old to call anything that might have happened statutory rape, but too young to be a legal adult.”
    “Damn. If he’d pushed it, I hope you’d sue his ass off.”
    “That would have been difficult. My stepfather was a lawyer. He said he’d make me look like I was totally crazy if I tried to ruin his reputation.” She looked up at Konrad with a sad smile. “And what teenager hasn’t acted totally crazy from time to time?”
    He shook his head. “Well, at least you got counseling to help you put it in perspective. Is your mother okay?”
    “My mom is strong. She put us kids first. After she threw him out, she threatened to take him for everything he owned if