Read Online Fighting for Desire by Sarah Bale - Free Book Online

“Thanks for taking
me to my apartment.”
    “Well I certainly wouldn’t let you go alone. You might try
to bail on me.”
    She huffed. “As I remember you are the one who bails on
people. Not me.” The words left her lips before she could stop them.
    His head snapped toward her and she knew she shouldn’t try
to provoke him when she had so much to lose.
    “As I recall you bailed on our relationship. My
leaving town was a result of that.”
    She moistened her lips with her tongue and then asked
softly, “Where did you go? When you left I mean.”
    For eight years she had wondered about that. Not even his
family had been able to give her hints and God knew she had looked for him. His
hand tightened on the steering wheel and for a moment she thought he was going
to ignore her question.
    “I was in Oklahoma for a while, near Oklahoma City. Then I
went out to California and did a few underground fights. That’s where I met
Marco actually. He was at one of the fights and gave me his card.” He smiled at
the memory. “I blew him off at first but after losing a few more fights I
called him and the rest is history.”
    “How…how long were you in Oklahoma after you left Texas?”
    He shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe a year. Why?”
    He had been so close to her during that time. Fate had a
cruel sense of humor though, and they never crossed paths when she needed him
so much.
    She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I was just curious.”
She needed to change the subject before she lost her composure. “Turn left at
the next light.”
    “I know where you live. No need to tell me when to turn.”
    “You do? How?”
    He actually snorted at her. “The investigator, remember?
Your address was on the report and I Googled it before we left.” He made the
turn at the stoplight and then said, “I’m actually surprised you’re living in
this part of town. Not exactly how you were raised.”
    It was her turn to shrug. “This is the only area I could
afford. Besides, it’s just a place to rest. I’m not there much.”
    That was an understatement. She avoided her apartment as
much as she could by spending time outdoors or at the library.
    “Your parents are okay with you living in a place like that?
I would’ve thought your old man would cut off his arm before he allowed his
only child to live in the slums. Or did they finally see their princess’ true
colors and don’t care where you live?”
    She took in a sharp breath, not knowing which part of his
statement bothered her most—the fact that her parents didn’t care about her or
his backhanded assessment of her character.
    She clenched her teeth. “I wouldn’t know if they are okay
with it or not. I’m an adult and I don’t need my parents’ permission.”
    “Bullshit.” He laughed without humor. “Since when haven’t
you sought their approval?”
    She was saved from answering as they parked in front of the
run-down apartment building she called home. Dev’s shiny new Land Rover stuck
out like a sore thumb and she was momentarily worried it would be gone when
they came out.
    He must have been thinking the same thing because he said,
“It’s a good thing I called the moving company ahead of time. That’s their
truck across the street and hopefully it won’t take long.”
    “In a hurry to be somewhere?” she asked sarcastically.
    He looked her in the eyes. “Yeah, in my bed…with you. I
still haven’t forgotten what we started and have yet to finish.”
    Her face flushed and she quickly unbuckled and got out of
the SUV. She walked across the street without waiting to see if he followed. The
sound of footsteps confirmed he was a step behind her.
    She opened the door to the building and went inside. Long
ago there had been a key-code on the door but it hadn’t worked as long as she
had lived there. As they entered the building the smell of urine assaulted her
nose.
    Dev muttered something under his breath but she ignored him.
She needed to