Read Online What If (Willowbrook Book 2) by Ashlyn Mathews - Free Book Online Page A

so long.
    She lowered her legs, clamped them around his waist, and with her arms tight around his neck, she clung to him. Warmth settled over his chest. Contentment, happiness. In her arms, he found home.
    They lay plastered to one another for what seemed like minutes. Afraid he’d slip out of her soon and make a wet mess on the bed, he grabbed the nearest thing he could find—his spare T-shirt.
    “Let me do it.” She took the shirt from his hand and cleaned them off.
    After she was done, he pulled down the covers and patted the side next to him. She glanced from the bed to the door as though unsure whether to spend the night with him or not.
    Faking a nonchalance he didn’t feel after the intimacy of what they’d shared, he ignored the casts and hooked his arms behind his head. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
    She slipped under the covers. He lowered his arms, turned, and anchored her body to his. Exhausted, he fell asleep with a thought that chapped his hide. If Emma needed love with her sex, why had she given her virginity to a guy she’d claimed not to have loved?
     
     
     

Chapter Twelve
    Last night, after Drew had fallen asleep, Emma had snuck out of bed for the cell phone in her jacket pocket. She’d slipped the phone under her pillow, and at six-thirty this morning, the phone’s vibration had woken her.
    Careful not to make any sudden moves that could disturb Drew’s sleep, she had snuck out of the bedroom and into the bathroom to clean up before she ate leftovers from last night at the small kitchen table.
    Then she’d left Drew’s place for her meeting with Chris. She hurried down the dirt path and avoided looking up at the dented targets. Around a curve, she veered off the path and trekked through the field that would take her to the cemetery. A few minutes later, she arrived at the cemetery’s border. She walked through to get to her place. The tulips from her father’s gravesite snagged her attention. Why’d you leave the chain and key where I’d find it?
    When she returned to Drew’s place, she’d ask him. Last night, before they’d made love, she saw understanding clear on his face. He hadn’t invested himself fully into their relationship, and that realization had hurt him. She didn’t like when Drew hurt. But truth had no concept of emotional consequences. And maybe it wasn’t just Drew that hadn’t been completely committed to growing their relationship as they’d changed over the years.
    Her mind made up about the morning ride, she hurried to the truck parked next to her place. From here, she had an unobstructed view of Chris in his truck, scarfing down what looked like a muffin stuffed with eggs and sausage. Her stomach grumbled. Seriously, she was hungry again?
    He saw her and waved. As she got closer, he wiped his hands and his mouth with a napkin then got out of the truck. “Hey, you.”
    “Hey back,” she said.
    He stared at her with keen perception. Trying not to squirm, she kicked at the dirt and avoided his eyes, looking at his mouth instead.
    Bad idea. A cheesy grin spread across his handsome, angular face. “You got yourself some action, didn’t you?”
    The corners of her lips twitched. “I don’t know what you mean.” She clasped her hands behind her back and rocked onto her heels.
    He came over and placed his warm hands on her shoulders, halting her movements. His eyes searched her face. They twinkled while her face burned.
    “You got laid.”
    “Hush.” She stepped out of his hold. “Someone’s gonna hear you.”
    He looked around and shrugged. “There’s only the dead.” With the cheesy grin back on his face, he opened his arms wide. “Get over here, love. You deserve a big Chris Andrews hug.”
    Unable to resist his charm and his smile, she jumped into his arms. Laughter bubbled out of her, and he clasped her tighter to him as though her happiness could take away his pain. Eve wasn’t her BFF. Chris was and had been since college.