Read Online The Upside of Being Let Down (new adult romance - 1) by London Casey, Karolyn James - Free Book Online

doorway.
    “ What
the hell? ” AJ asked.
    “ What
happened with Angela? Winnie? College? ”
    “ Are
you serious? ”
    “ I
am. ”
    “ We ’ re strangers and you ’ re going to ask me personal
questions like that? ”
    “ I
think we ’ re beyond
strangers, ” Bryan said. “ What are we? I don ’ t know. But we ’ re not strangers. ”
    He wanted more of AJ.
    What that more actually meant,
he had no idea. But he felt it. She seemed like the kind of person that could
have a decent conversation with.
    “ You
know what, ” AJ said. She
pointed at Bryan and then poked at his chest. “ I
got kicked out of college, okay? Because I never showed up. Because I hated it.
I went to college as a way to get the hell out of my house. So there. And
Angela is my roommate, and she ’ s
a bitch. I took the apartment with her because we were both desperate to get
out of the dorms. She had her reasons, I had mine. But now because I ’ m out of college, the apartment
won ’ t be paid for, so she
put everything outside of the apartment, like you saw. ”
    Bryan moved his hand and stepped
back. When AJ didn ’ t budge,
he reached for her wrist and pulled her into the apartment. She stumbled and
put her hands out, seeking comfort on Bryan ’ s
body. He looked at AJ for a second and realized he ’ d have to try hard to keep everything cool.
    “ As
for Winnie, she ’ s a stripper.
She ’ s my sister. Yes, you
heard right. That ’ s why I
was there. I needed to talk to her. I was hoping to crash with her or get some
advice, but that didn ’ t
work out thanks to dumbass guys and a drunk chick. ”
    “ Okay,
AJ, ” Bryan said.
    AJ ’ s
hands curled around Bryan ’ s
shirt. He saw it in her eyes.
    She wasn ’ t done.
    “ So
I figured I ’ d sleep in my
car for one night and then find Winnie in the morning. Figure things out,
right? But no, I couldn ’ t
do that. Because in the backseat of a car - not my car - I lost my virginity
and was dumped a day later. ”
    Now AJ was done.
    She looked at Bryan, her big brown
eyes blinking without an ounce of regret. They were sincerely in pain. Bryan
couldn ’ t remember the last
time he looked into someone ’ s
eyes like AJ ’ s and actually
understood them. Her eyes weren ’ t
laced with booze. Her eyes weren ’ t
hiding secrets. Her eyes were... beautiful .
    “ She
sounds like a bitch, ” Bryan
whispered.
    “ Who?
Me? Winnie? I know she... ”
    “ Angela, ” Bryan said and smiled. “ She shouldn ’ t have kicked you out like that.
You deserve better, at least for tonight. ”
    “ Exactly
my thought, ” AJ said.
    “ Okay.
Well. You can stay. ”
    “ I
planned on it. ”
    AJ let go of Bryan ’ s shirt and moved around him,
making a line for the kitchen.
    “ Sure,
make yourself at home, ” Bryan said.
    “ Sounds
good, ” AJ said. She stopped
walking and looked over her shoulder. Her face was suddenly seductive. “ I ’ m
glad you don ’ t stink
anymore. ”
    “ Stink...? ”
    “ You
took a shower. For me? ”
    Bryan looked at his shirt. He
looked at AJ. “ Yeah, I
showered just for you. If I knew for sure you weren ’ t coming I would have rather just slept in the smell
of my friend ’ s vomit. ”
    “ You ’ re so sweet, ” AJ said.
    She disappeared into the kitchen,
laughed when she opened the fridge, then exited the kitchen. She looked around
the apartment, and Bryan wondered what exactly she was doing.
    “ How
do we do it? ” AJ asked,
finally breaking up the silence between them.
    “ Do
what? ” Bryan asked.
    “ Come
on. The sleeping thing. ”
    “ Oh.
My couch pulls out... I have my bed... ”
    AJ nodded. She walked right up to
Bryan and looked at him.
    “ Here ’ s your options. If I sleep on
the couch, I won ’ t sleep
with you. ”
    “ AJ... ”
    “ If
I sleep in your bed, I ’ ll
sleep with you. ”
    Bryan ’ s
mouth hung open. He heard what AJ said but wasn ’ t
sure what she meant.
    Sleep... as in sleep ? Or as
in...
    “