Read Online Gluttony by Robin Wasserman - Free Book Online Page A

all, but we’ve got to …”
    “Yeah.” Carl checked his watch. “Holy shit, it’s time for the eruption. I’ve gotta kick you guys out. But stick around, you’ll love it.”
    Adam escorted Harper out, and, since the fence unlocked from the inside, they made it back to the tourist zone unscathed.
    “What was that ?” Harper asked, bursting into laughter once they were a safe distance away.
    “What?”
    “ That! You were supposed to be acting like Kane, not like … like some Saturday Night Live lounge lizard.”
    “He bought it, didn’t he?” Adam asked indignantly.
    “Ladies love cool Kane.” Harper shook with laughter, and soon Adam joined in. “Seriously? LL-Cool K? I mean, seriously ?”
    Adam shrugged and gave a gee-whiz smile. “What can I say? The ladies love me.”
    Something about the line stopped her cold, and her smile faded away. “We should get going,” she said, already feeling the distance beginning to grow between them. “We don’t have all day.”
    “Wait.” He reached for her arm, but pulled back just as his fingers grazed her skin. “Wait,” he said again. “Let’s at least stay for the show.”
    As he spoke, a loud rumbling began, deep inside the volcano, which looked even faker now that Harper had seen the switches, dials, and the guy who made it run. But it couldn’t hurt to stay for just a few minutes and see what the big deal was.
    They inched closer to the front of the crowd, stealing a spot on the guardrail at the edge of the fountain pool, and waited. Soon the volcano began bubbling and burbling, and then a huge plume of flame burst out of the top, followed by a geyser of red water, arcing out of the crater mouth and out toward the crowd.
    Harper leaped back. Adam, too slow on the uptake, merely stared slack-jawed at the sky as a wall of bloodred water crashed down on him.
    Another burst of flame, a puff of smoke, and the eruption had ended. Adam rubbed the water out of his eyes and began wringing out his sopping T-shirt. “That was …” He looked down at himself, soaked to the skin. “… unexpected.”
    Harper felt another surge of giggles rippling through her. It felt good to laugh again. “I don’t know why you didn’t see it coming,” she sputtered. “You said it yourself, LL-Cool Kane. Lava Loves Cool Kane!”
    “Very funny,” Adam growled. “You know what’s even funnier?” He lunged toward her and gave himself a mighty shake. Water flew everywhere.
    “Watch it!” she cried, twisting away.
    “I think you mean, watch out .” He chuckled, and lunged toward her again, wrapping his arms around her and pressing her against his soaking body. She struggled playfully for a moment, but these were arms that regularly shot fifty free throws a day. They didn’t give. “Thanks for helping me dry off,” he teased, rubbing his wet arms up and down her back.
    “Thanks for ruining my outfit,” she complained, but she stopped struggling. He didn’t understand how hard it was for her, having him so near, touching her, holding her, and knowing that he didn’t mean it, didn’t want her.
    Knowing that he didn’t think she was worthy of him—and that he was right.
    The moment she let down her guard and let him in, just a little, waves of pain came along for the ride.
    Let go of me, she thought, but couldn’t force herself to say, even though it would be for her own good.
    Adam held on tight.

    Reed slammed his hand down on the guitar strings in disgust. “Fish, you’re still coming in a beat too late after the bridge!”
    Fish snorted and pointed at Hale. “If this dude would actually follow my cues, I wouldn’t have to—”
    “If you picked up the tempo and—”
    “At least I’m not playing in the wrong key,” Fish shot back.
    “At least I’m playing —a monkey could bang sticks together. What I do takes talent,” Hale argued.
    “You’re right,” Fish agreed, slamming his stick against the cymbal. “Too bad you don’t have