Read Online Hearts Collide (Canyon Cove Book 4) by Liliana Rhodes - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Liliana Rhodes
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about the boyfriend?” he asked.
“I didn’t ask, she didn’t tell,” I said. “As much as this sucks, I’ll take whatever I can get as long as I get some time with her.”
“Just fucking ask her, man. Ask her if she has a boyfriend.”
I shook my head. There was no way Gunnar would ever understand how I felt about her. If I knew for a fact that she had a boyfriend, it would kill me.
“I don’t want to hear her say she does,” I said.
“You really are a pussy. You know that, right?” Gunnar said.
“Fuck you, man,” I said with a laugh.
“Not in a million years,” he said.
***
A week had passed since I had last seen Jackie, but all I did was think about her. Her sweet vanilla scent still hung in the air of my bedroom, and when I closed my eyes I could imagine the warmth of her body against mine.
I was worse than a lovesick puppy.
I spent the past week trying to drown myself in work. I was in the middle of looking over some ideas Gunnar had for ads when my secretary, Marcia, knocked on the office door and set a piece of paper on my desk.
“There’s the list for this week,” Marcia said as she left. “Also, it’s almost one o’clock.”
“Thank you, Marcia,” I said.
With my eyes still on the computer, I slid the paper over and then looked at the list. For months now my secretary had been giving me a list of the events Jackie was working at. Between Marcia and Samantha I knew what Jackie was up to almost every day of the week.
I wasn’t proud of it, but I couldn’t sit around and wait for Samantha’s dinners to see Jackie. I needed to see her as often as possible.
I packed up my laptop and left my office. I had less than twenty minutes to make it to the Canyon Cove University campus for the end of class. After not seeing Jackie in so long, I looked forward to the walk and accidentally running into her.
Students were filing out of the angular building as I arrived. I leaned against the stone wall across from the entry and waited for her. As she walked out of the building, the sun made her hair glossy and luminous. Even with her worn yoga pants and oversized sweatshirt, I still thought she was breathtaking.
She smiled as she approached, and the line between her eyebrows was gone.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Waiting for you,” I said. “How about dinner tonight?”
“Dinner? You mean like a date? What about the rules? You know, our arrangement.”
Her phone started ringing before I could respond. She answered the phone, and while I should have stepped away to give her privacy, as soon as I heard her answer it, I knew I was staying.
“What is it, Dennis?” she said as she answered the phone.
Her face grew pale as her mouth slacked open. As she looked at me, her eyes welled up with tears. I was ready to grab the phone from her and tear Dennis a new one for making her so upset.
“Totaled?” she said into the phone, her voice rising. “Why didn’t you stop?”
“Is that all you care about? That fucking piece of shit car? It was old and only worked half the time anyway. You didn’t even ask if I was okay,” he yelled loud enough that I could hear him through the phone.
“I...I’m sorry,” she stammered, her brow furrowed. “You didn’t say you were in the hospital. I didn’t think...I’m sorry.”
“I’m fine,” he yelled. “Luckily your goddamn car was so fucking huge that it protected me. Now I have to figure out how to get back home. Why does this shit always happen to me?”
I grabbed the phone from her hand, hung up on Dennis, then tossed it aside. As Jackie fought back tears, I put my arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to me. She cried against my chest as I held her.
Who the hell did this guy think he was? That wasn’t how a real man talked to a woman. Why did Jackie put up with it?
I had so many questions for her, the biggest being why she was still with him, but asking her about him now would be like kicking her
“I didn’t ask, she didn’t tell,” I said. “As much as this sucks, I’ll take whatever I can get as long as I get some time with her.”
“Just fucking ask her, man. Ask her if she has a boyfriend.”
I shook my head. There was no way Gunnar would ever understand how I felt about her. If I knew for a fact that she had a boyfriend, it would kill me.
“I don’t want to hear her say she does,” I said.
“You really are a pussy. You know that, right?” Gunnar said.
“Fuck you, man,” I said with a laugh.
“Not in a million years,” he said.
***
A week had passed since I had last seen Jackie, but all I did was think about her. Her sweet vanilla scent still hung in the air of my bedroom, and when I closed my eyes I could imagine the warmth of her body against mine.
I was worse than a lovesick puppy.
I spent the past week trying to drown myself in work. I was in the middle of looking over some ideas Gunnar had for ads when my secretary, Marcia, knocked on the office door and set a piece of paper on my desk.
“There’s the list for this week,” Marcia said as she left. “Also, it’s almost one o’clock.”
“Thank you, Marcia,” I said.
With my eyes still on the computer, I slid the paper over and then looked at the list. For months now my secretary had been giving me a list of the events Jackie was working at. Between Marcia and Samantha I knew what Jackie was up to almost every day of the week.
I wasn’t proud of it, but I couldn’t sit around and wait for Samantha’s dinners to see Jackie. I needed to see her as often as possible.
I packed up my laptop and left my office. I had less than twenty minutes to make it to the Canyon Cove University campus for the end of class. After not seeing Jackie in so long, I looked forward to the walk and accidentally running into her.
Students were filing out of the angular building as I arrived. I leaned against the stone wall across from the entry and waited for her. As she walked out of the building, the sun made her hair glossy and luminous. Even with her worn yoga pants and oversized sweatshirt, I still thought she was breathtaking.
She smiled as she approached, and the line between her eyebrows was gone.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Waiting for you,” I said. “How about dinner tonight?”
“Dinner? You mean like a date? What about the rules? You know, our arrangement.”
Her phone started ringing before I could respond. She answered the phone, and while I should have stepped away to give her privacy, as soon as I heard her answer it, I knew I was staying.
“What is it, Dennis?” she said as she answered the phone.
Her face grew pale as her mouth slacked open. As she looked at me, her eyes welled up with tears. I was ready to grab the phone from her and tear Dennis a new one for making her so upset.
“Totaled?” she said into the phone, her voice rising. “Why didn’t you stop?”
“Is that all you care about? That fucking piece of shit car? It was old and only worked half the time anyway. You didn’t even ask if I was okay,” he yelled loud enough that I could hear him through the phone.
“I...I’m sorry,” she stammered, her brow furrowed. “You didn’t say you were in the hospital. I didn’t think...I’m sorry.”
“I’m fine,” he yelled. “Luckily your goddamn car was so fucking huge that it protected me. Now I have to figure out how to get back home. Why does this shit always happen to me?”
I grabbed the phone from her hand, hung up on Dennis, then tossed it aside. As Jackie fought back tears, I put my arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to me. She cried against my chest as I held her.
Who the hell did this guy think he was? That wasn’t how a real man talked to a woman. Why did Jackie put up with it?
I had so many questions for her, the biggest being why she was still with him, but asking her about him now would be like kicking her
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