Read Online Can't Go Home (Oasis Waterfall) by Angelisa Denise Stone - Free Book Online Page A

explain. “What you already have works; you don’t need to try to make it work.”
    “I don’t get you,” Kathryn says, staring at me like I’m a math problem with no solution. “One minute you’re kind and sensitive, the next minute, you’re chauvinistic, vague, and arrogant.”
    “That’s me, a man of many faces—a mystery, an anomaly, a puzzle—”
    “A walking thesaurus,” she laughs. “Easy there, your head might explode.
    As we get in line for the carousel, I watch her as she watches the ride. Her eyes light up at an adorable little blonde girl, who’s squealing each time the horse rises and falls. Kathryn’s smile is infectious; I have this undeniable urge to make her smile like that—at me.
    I feel a switch; I’m fighting something more than the urge to Bang and Bail. I feel like I could watch her all day long. I want to know what she thinks about, what her dreams are, what her childhood was like …
    Son-of-a-bitch, I do not need this right now. There is no place in my life for feelings like this. Shit, I was doing so well, until she floated into my life, like an angel out of nowhere. Really? Am I about to bust out in tune, serenade her at the fair? God, get ahold of yourself, man.
    Kathryn seriously takes forever choosing “the perfect horse.” She circles the carousel four times, before deciding on a white horse with a pink mane and golden reigns. “I couldn’t decide between this one and that yellow one,” she points, frowning between the two. “I want to ride both of them,” she says, climbing up on the white horse.
    “Then we’ll ride it twice,” I offer, solving her dilemma. Kathryn smiles and kicks her feet back and forth. She’s so tiny; her feet don’t even hit the leather stirrups or the metals ones. It’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
    “Let’s play a game,” I say. “This time, this ride, count how many times your horse goes up and down.”
    “Okay … but why?” she asks.
    “You’ll see … just wait,” I instruct. “Next time, count how many times the yellow horse goes around in circles.” She nods, and the ride slowly begins to move. Kathryn’s horse starts easing its way up and further away from me as my horse remains in place.
    Smiling, she waves, and says, “three … four …” I can’t take my eyes off of her. She’s beautiful, but adorable, sexy, but sophisticated, smart, but yet fun. I’m treading on very dangerous ground here, but have no intentions of trying to get out. Not one part of me wants to bail—bang yeah—bail, no. My purpose has switched; the change is in motion. Shit that was fast. All I want, all I can see is Kathryn Howell.
    The ride comes to a stop, and she giggles and says, “26 times. It went up and down 26 times.” Quickly, she runs to the yellow horse and jumps on.
    I walk over to the yellow horse, and swing my leg up on the back of the horse, sliding down into the seat against her back. Slowly, I wrap my arms around her, trying to gauge her comfort-level. I don’t want to do anything she doesn’t want me to do.
    I lean forward and whisper in her ear, “This is the horse I wanted.”
    Kathryn turns around, grins, and says, “Then hold on tight … it’s going to be an incredible ride.”
    Every time I think I’m going to weaken her knees and make her melt, she counters with something more knee-weakening and melting. I spend the entire ride trying to control the big-guy-in-my-pants. What? Like I’m going to refer to him as “little man” or “baby Dre.” Not going to happen.
    With my arms around her and Kathryn sitting snugly between my legs, I feel like that adorable little blonde girl, like I’m on the greatest ride of my life. I’m pretty sure I am. Although Kathryn’s petite, it’s almost as if she was made to fit perfectly within my arms and legs. I can hear her counting, taking my game seriously. My thoughts are too heavy; I’ve got to lighten things up.
    Suddenly, I jump up, standing on the back