Read Online consumed by Sandra Sookoo - Free Book Online

glanced at the remaining food on her plate, but her appetite had fled. “It’s exciting and thrilling. I haven’t felt that way about a guy for a long time.”
    Then what are you worried about?
    Tears sprang into her eyes. She blinked them away. “What if I want the lifetime?” Her stomach clenched in knots from the admission. She scrambled to her feet. “Sure, sex would be great, but if I get close to him emotionally and he dies, where does that leave me?” Pacing, she shook her head. She’d done the full-out, head-over-heels thing with her first crush in college. After graduation, he left with a flimsy excuse of starting his real life. “I don’t want to be hurt.”
    Her wolf snorted. What’s the point of living if you don’t feel something every once in a while? If you experience a couple of days’ worth of the purest love, don’t you think everything else you go through will be worth it? Wouldn’t the few days you have with this man far outweigh any pain?
    Ava had no answer. She refused to think beyond the present. Was there such a thing as love at first sight, or was it really just wistful optimism built upon the commercialism of the romance industry? Wrapping her arms around her body, she stood at the window. Sunset had come and gone. Stars twinkled against the inky darkness. With no need to compete with the glare of city lights, each space jewel burned proud in its place.
    “It’s peaceful here. There could be worse places to be stuck in, I guess.” She leaned on the windowsill, her chin propped in one hand. The anxiety of being thrust back in time, for no reason and without an escape, faded. No more rat race. No more working twelve- or fourteen-hour days. No more endless travel days or microwaved meals on the go. This time period had its advantages.
    And the chance to see history unfold got her creative juices flowing. “Who knows, if I ask enough people here, maybe I’ll find the place where I can fit in and be happy. Somehow, I don’t think it’s being a clerk at the bank.”
    Have you made peace with your life now?
    She grinned at her wolf’s question. “As dumb as it sounds, I think I have. Whatever happens, I’ll enjoy the moment. It’s time for a change, wolf-girl.” Maybe I’m here for a universal reset. If slowing down and finding my center means I’ll have to do it in 1899, how can I argue?
    A slight knock against the window glass startled Ava out of her reflections. “What the hell?” When it came again, she worked the clasp on the sill and pushed the double glass panels open. Leaning out as far as she dared, she stared into the darkness. “Sam?” Shadows moved against the blackness, but she couldn’t identify any one in particular. Chilly air rushed into the room and condensed her breath.
    He’s here!
    As her wolf paced back and forth in her mind’s eye, Ava squirmed as the animal’s excitement transferred to her in the form of heightened skin sensitivity. Her nipples tightened, but whether from the cold or his presence, she had no idea. The fine hair on her arms stood at attention. “Sam, is that you?” She didn’t dare raise her voice over a whisper for fear she’d summon Mrs. Altier.
    “Yes. Either come downstairs and unlock the door, or join me outside.” Though he kept his voice low, she’d swear she felt it reverberate in her chest. “Make your decision quickly.”
    “One sec.” Not since high school had she snuck out of a house to meet a boy. Then, it ended with sloppy kisses. This meeting would end with… Heat rushed through her chest. Well, it would end much better than this morning. Pulling the window closed, she dashed across the floor and extinguished the lamp. If Mrs. Altier did wander the halls in the night, she’d have cause to investigate. Scant moments later, she struggled into thin silk slippers and padded into the hall.
    With slow movements, she closed her bedroom door. Ava slunk along the hallway and eased down the wooden staircase. Halfway