Read Online Rapturous by M. S. Force - Free Book Online Page A

I could put this ridiculous fascination with her in the past where it belongs. But that’s not whathappened. No, after having her, I only want more of her, and that cannot happen. It just can’t. Look at how pissed off she is with me now. What would she think if she knew the full truth about me, about my true desires? She’d hate me even more than she already does.
    You know that short list of people I love? Addie is right up there on the top of that list, and I can’t bear to think I’ve causeda permanent rift with someone who’s so important to me. You probably should’ve thought about that before you fucked her and walked away .  
    No shit, really?  
    I want to tell my conscience to fuck off and leave me alone, but the thing of it is, my conscience is exactly right. Flynn was exactly right when he got in my face the other night and told me to leave her alone if I wasn’t interested in everythingwith her.  
    The cold shoulder is the least of what I deserve from Addie. I’ve got to fix this. I’ve got to repair our friendship, at the very least. I have no idea how I’m going to do that when she won’t even talk to me, but I’ll think of something.
    I tune into the conversation the board is having about a kick-off event that will set the tone for what the foundation hopes to accomplish—raisingmoney for hungry kids without spending hundreds of thousands on fancy Hollywood galas.
    “What about a carnival?” The idea is out of my mouth before it’s fully formed.
    Everyone looks at me, except for Addie, who types on her laptop, presumably taking notes—or composing a manifesto on the many ways Hayden Roth sucks donkey balls, which is one of her favorite expressions.  
    “What do you mean?” Natalieasks.
    “You don’t want to do a gala, and on behalf of all of Hollywood, I thank you for one less formal event to attend. How about doing something fun for the population we hope to serve by hosting a carnival with rides and games and face painting and other stuff kids love? We could get someone to donate their estate for the day and turn it into a playground for kids. We’ll invite celebritiesto come and bring their kids and contact agencies that support needy kids and get them there, too. Lots of press and photos and TV coverage.”
    By the time I finish spewing, everyone is looking at me, including Addie, who stares at me with an intrigued, arrested expression that makes me want to grab her and drag her from the room so we can deal with the terrible awkwardness. But I can’t do that,so I stare back at her until she looks away, busying herself with her laptop once again.
    “That is an amazing idea,” Natalie says. “What does everyone else think?”
    “I like it,” Flynn says. “It would be fun and keep the focus on the kids, which is what we want.”
    “How would we make money from it?” Flynn’s sister Ellie asks.
    “We’d charge the celebrities to attend,” Flynn’s mother, Stella, says.“They’d pay to be seen at something like this, and their kids would love it, too. It would be great publicity for them to be embracing such a worthy cause, and it would show them as down-to-earth parents who actually play with their kids.”
    I grunt out a laugh. Neither of my celebrity parents ever “played” with me, not that I can recall, anyway. One of the nannies, whose name I can’t remember,took me to a park a few times, but my parents never did anything like that. They were too busy chasing careers that didn’t pan out and romances that ended in one epic disaster after another. Their kid was an afterthought in the midst of all that drama. That’s exactly why I’ll never have kids of my own. I’m too selfish to give them the attention they deserve.
    Flipping a pen between my fingers,I watch Addie take frantic notes as the carnival idea takes off within the group. How is it that even the way she types is sexy? So is the furrow that forms between her brows when she concentrates, and the