Read Online Some Like It Hopeless (A Temporary Engagement) by Megan Bryce - Free Book Online

like it. Give him one true friend so he wouldn’t be alone.
    Would let him have Shane to himself so he wouldn’t be alone.
    But she wouldn’t, she couldn’t, she wasn’t.
    She said, “Shane’s not people, is he?”
    “No.”
    Christian’s eyes flicked behind her and widened. Cassandra turned, expecting Shane in his tight-fitting swim trunks, but it was Brady, standing at the edge of the pool and watching them.
    Christian said softly to her back, “I think I could love him, if I let myself. I just haven’t figured out how to do that yet.”
    Cassandra swam away from him like she hadn’t heard, swam toward Brady. She rested her arms on the ledge and looked up at him. He squatted and said, “I’m going to guess that is not Shane.”
    “Good guess. What gave it away?”
    “You looked like you wanted to drown him.”
    She tried not to smile. “You’d hide the body for me, right?”
    Brady’s head tipped up to look behind her. “That bad?”
    He wasn’t. Not that bad. Christian was careful and skittish, and those weren’t her favorite personality traits, but he wasn’t that bad. She just had no patience for people who could hurt Shane. Who would hurt him simply because they didn’t know how to stand tall and proud. Who would hurt him because they didn’t know how to accept what was.
    It was not lost on her that the people who could fill your heart, who could give you a home, were the ones who could hurt you the most.
    She ignored Brady’s question to ask one of her own. “Are you going to get your suit on?”
    He shook his head. “I have a meeting. And then I thought I’d go for a drive.”
    She touched his hand, her cool skin warming against his heat. “Do you want company?”
    “Only if I drive.”
    “It is my car now.”
    He grinned down at her. “I said you could use it. To drive to work and back.”
    “I don’t want to go with you if you’re going to drive. I’d die of boredom.”
    It was just a little prick, to see if he would bleed, to see if his wounds were starting to scab over.
    He said, “Then I guess you should stay here with your friends and enjoy the pool.”
    “Or you could come back down here after your meeting and enjoy it with us.”
    “I have an appointment to keep today, Cassandra.”
    She nodded. “Okay.”
    A loud splash alerted her that Shane had come back out. Brady lifted his head and stood. He slid his hands into his pockets and watched Shane swim the length of the pool. His eyes tracked, his smile was gone.
    He murmured, “That’s who I’m a surrogate for? I think I’m overselling it.”
    “Don’t make me come out of this pool and hurt you.”
    He looked down at her. “I remember you saying something about my wife that made me want to chuck you down a hill.”
    “And I appreciate that you didn’t. Which is why I’m warning you.”
    He stared down at her a long moment and her breath came faster, her heart sped up. She thought she’d really like it if he put on a tiny little swimsuit and joined her. And it wouldn’t be because she couldn’t have Shane.
    Brady looked back at Shane and Christian, gave them the same blank stare, and she knew the water would be heating up where they were, too. Could practically hear Shane’s breath getting sucked in.
    Brady said, “Don’t kill anyone in my pool.”
    Cassandra cleared her throat. “Shane’s here now. He’s safe.”
    He looked down at her and gave her a small smile, then turned and walked away. Cassandra thought, Lord have mercy , then ducked her head under the water.
    She swam slowly back to Shane and Christian, taking her sweet time, trying to cool down. She surfaced next to them, gulping down air.
    Shane muttered, “I know why you moved into the penthouse. I’ve got tingles.”
    He poked Christian in the side, making him jump, and Shane said, “Come on. Tell me that man did not make you want to take a ride on the wild side.”
    Christian turned a lovely shade of purple.