Read Online To Trust a Stranger by Karen Robards - Free Book Online Page A

hook.” He rubbed her back reassuringly. Julie allowed herself the pure luxury of being comforted. He was warm, and strong, and he smelled faintly of soap and cold cream, and his wide, well-muscled chest was the perfect pillow for her head. It felt so good to be in a man's arms again that she snuggled close. Her cheek rested on a firm pec , and she could hear the slow, steady beat of his heart beneath her ear. He must have sensed her need for comfort, because his arms wrapped around her, holding her close.
    She'd missed this: being held by a man. Even in this nonsexual context, it felt so amazingly good.
    “Like what?” Her voice sounded despairing to her own ears. She closed her eyes, and tightened her grip on his T-shirt.
    Her next words were tragicomic. “I might as well just go ahead and kill myself and save Sid the trouble.”
    “That might be a little drastic, don't you think?”
    From his voice, it sounded like he was smiling. Her eyes opened, and a swift upward glance confirmed it: he was smiling. Well, she supposed she was glad someone could.
    “Not really.” Her voice was glum.
    “You know, most people in your situation would probably just get a divorce.”
    Debbie's dry observation so exactly meshed with her thoughts that Julie glanced up again, startled.
    “I'm thinking about it,” she admitted. To actually express the thought aloud was liberating somehow. “But, to me, divorce is kind of a big deal.”
    Just watching her mother change marriage partners had probably traumatized her for life. As a little girl, she'd promised herself that when she got married, it would be forever.
    “People do it every day.”
    “I don't.” She took a deep breath and, much as she hated to do it, pulled herself out of Debbie's arms. Wonderful as it felt to be cuddled and comforted, it was over. Time to face the music. “I suppose I might as well go ahead and call the police. I'm going to have to report the Jaguar stolen now. Sid's going to have to know.”
    The thought made her stomach churn. With fear? She didn't know how else to describe what she was feeling.
    Oh, God, when had she become afraid of Sid? Debbie frowned at her.
    “How about if I take you home, and you go on upstairs to bed just like you've never been out at all, and then I break into your garage? When your husband gets home, he'll discover your car missing and call the police. They'll find signs of a break-in and assume the Jaguar was stolen right out of your garage. Doesn't make any difference where the car goes missing from, you know.”
    Julie stared at him as hope did its eternal thing again. “Isn't lying to the police a crime?”
    He shrugged. “Hey, crime happens. Spitting on the sidewalk's a crime. So is murder. It's all a matter of degree. This particular one won't cause so much as a ripple. The question is, would you rather tell the police you've been in bed asleep all night or tell your husband exactly how you came to lose your Jaguar?”
    Julie shuddered. It wasn't even close. “Okay, so I'll lie to the police.”
    He grinned at her. “ Atta girl.”
    Another problem reared its thorny head. “My purse was stolen too. Oh, I guess I can say I left it in the Jaguar. Which is true. I did leave it in the Jaguar, so that part won't be a lie. Exactly.”
    “Don't think of it as lying. Think of it as telling carefully selected facts.” His grin broadened. “Welcome to the dark side, Luke 5kywalker. “
    She made a face, then stiffened as a hideous possibility occurred to her. “What if the police find the punks who stole my car and they tell where they got it?”
    “They won't find them.”
    “How can you be so sure?”
    “I just am. Believe me. Mother and his pals run a tight ship, no violence, not hurting anybody, and the cops mostly look the other way.”
    Julie took a deep breath, and glanced over her shoulder. The clock read 2: I5. She was out of time. And, she realized, despite countless objections raised by her basically