Read Online Bold & Beautiful by Christin Lovell - Free Book Online

in the kitchen. She opened the fridge and took out a bottle of water for each of us. “So, tell me about yourself, Aura. You must be someone special for my son to bring you here.” She handed me the drink.
    I felt myself blush. “We’re just-“
    “She is,” Jonas said.
    Hope surged within me. Hope was bad though. Hope had been destroyed every time it’d appeared before. Hope was alive now though. My heart sprinted, my flesh aware of his proximity to me. His energy, his presence was palpable. I didn’t understand how someone could be so conscious of another person, yet I was very conscious of Jonas.
    He came to stand beside me, fully clothed I noted. “You’re going to be staying with us until your mom gets back.” It wasn’t a question; it was a statement. The way he said it, there would be no arguing. “You can sleep in the guest room beside my bedroom.”
    My pulse tripled at the thought of sleeping that close to Jonas. So much for containing my hope.
    Chapter 23
    JONAS
    I listened to the erratic rhythms of her body as it responded to my words. I didn’t know if she was responding in fear or excitement though. Her scent never changed. She revealed nothing in her expression. She was a puzzle; my puzzle.
    “Well then. What do you all want for dinner?” my mother asked, not missing a beat. My dad would fill her in later.
    ~*~
    I watched in awe as Aura moved around the kitchen with my mom, both of them working together as if they’d been cooking partners for years. It wasn’t long before dinner was ready and we were all sitting at the table.
    I shoveled a bite of the pasta into my mouth. Whatever Aura had done to the sauce made a world of difference; the flavors danced on my tongue. I went to give her a compliment, but stopped short at the stricken look on her face.
    “What’s wrong?” Everyone stopped what they were doing; forks froze in mid-air as we all stared at her.
    She flushed. “I’m sorry. I… I can’t eat without my medicine.”
    “Where is it? I’ll go get it.”
    Her color deepened. “I forgot them at home.”
    Them? As in more than one? “No problem. Just give me your keys and I’ll go grab them.”
    “No. It’s okay. I can walk-“
    “No.” I immediately cut her off. With all the walking she did and how little she ate, I didn’t understand how she wasn’t the size of a toothpick. She over exercised and under nourished her body. I was hoping to help her with that.
    “Then at least eat first and then we can go,” she said. I noticed she had a bit more confidence when she responded this time. Atta girl. She was finding her voice.
    Too bad it was nothing compared to mine. “We’ll go now and then come back and eat together.”
    “How about we all go and then come back and eat together?” My mother chimed in with sarcasm, clearly she was annoyed with the back and forth.
    Aura looked troubled. “No. You both stay and eat. I’d rather interrupt one person’s dinner than three. Please.”
    I could tell my mother felt bad for her attitude moments ago. She hadn’t gaged Aura’s level of sensitivity right. “Sorry, dear.”
    “No funny business,” my dad warned, moving past the unease.
    “Contrary to what most parents believe, teens do have a bit of control over their hormones.” I shook my head. “We’ll be back.”
    “Drive safe,” my mother called.
    “Sorry about this,” Aura said as we walked out the front door.
    “Seriously, it’s no biggie. Don’t work yourself up over it.”
    She reluctantly conceded and followed me out to the car.
    The sun was beginning to set already. As long as the day felt, time was flying by.
    “Tell me about being a werewolf, if you don’t mind.” Aura gave me a shy smile as I sped off down the road towards her apartment.
    “What do you want to know?” I leaned into the center console, loving how close she was.
    “What does it feel like when you shift?”
    “Like my entire body is about to cramp up. An intense pressure builds in