Read Online Perfectly Shattered by Emily Jane Trent - Free Book Online Page B

felt it. If anything, the prickles of pain from the icy wind felt good. The more the better. Anything to distract her from the worse pain in her heart.
    Inside, she cranked up the heat and fell into a fetal position on the sofa. Lecturing herself on how she had no hold on Bradan didn’t make her feel better. It made her feel worse. She hated that they were just friends, because they weren’t even that. They were nothing. Had nothing. And the warm conversation she’d had with him was a tease and nothing else.
    Bad habits don’t die easily, though Cami had done a decent job of curbing them since her arrival in the city. But this was too much. She opened the cupboard and yanked out the first bottle of wine she found. There were several she’d brought with her from the winery before they sold it. There was no better occasion to drink some of it.
    She sat staring into space, not even bothering to turn on music. By her second glass, Cami felt a little numb but no better. The opposite. The alcohol had opened the floodgates of her emotions, and tears welled in her eyes. She remembered why she’d stopped drinking. But it was too late.
    Gulping the wine, she hoped she choked on it. Ending it all. Life wasn’t fair. It seemed just when things took a turn for the better, all hope was dashed. The same had happened over and over. After working so hard to regain her footing, Cami felt she couldn’t take much more. If only she were strong. But she wasn’t.
    There were many things she could have thought of—reasons to feel better and excuses for the situation. The truth was she didn’t care. Bradan was all she wanted. If that hadn’t been clear to her before, it was then. Unable to muster any rationality about the incident, all she could do was see him kissing the woman. The image wouldn’t go from her mind.
    Finally, she staggered to her bed, letting the empty wine bottle roll across the floor. With her face buried in her pillow, Cami sobbed uncontrollably. There was no inclination to stop crying and every reason to collapse. Every reason. It was more than just Bradan, but he could have made the difference.
    Didn’t she know better than to count on him? And she couldn’t even blame him. He’d said friends , and he hadn’t even kissed her good night. Cami should have taken the hint and moved on. But she couldn’t. She never could. That was her problem.
    *****
    The next day sucked. And Bradan didn’t call. Not that Cami expected him to. His suggestion to show her places in Seattle had been lame, as was his offer to be friends. It was all bogus.
    Then it started. The following day Bradan texted that he wanted to meet. Cami had decided to steer clear of him. She couldn’t trust herself, and she certainly couldn’t trust him. Ignoring his messages, since she didn’t have work with Blue Skirt that day, she focused on developing dishes for the contest. But she ached inside, an ache she had never wanted to feel again. But it seemed she had no choice.
    Late the next afternoon, she left the kitchen in a mess and grabbed her coat to go out for coffee. Bouncing down the stairs, she ran smack into Bradan, who was coming up. The impact with his rock-hard body stunned her, and the warm sensation that went through her the instant she recognized him swept away all reason.
    “Bradan, what are you doing here?”
    He looked so impossibly handsome. Cami reminded herself that she was mad at him, that he was bad for her, and everything else she could think of.
    “I came to see you. You aren’t answering my texts. Why not?”
    Exasperated, Cami let out a big breath. “You have to ask?”
    “Yeah. Are you mad at me?”
    “Yes, I’m mad at you.” Even as she said it, Cami knew he had no clue why.
    “I guess that’s one thing I do without trying.”
    Cami raised a brow.
    Bradan shrugged. “Make women mad at me.”
    “How can you not? Jesus, Bradan.” She glared at him.
    “I thought we got along the other night.” He looked so