Archiwum
- Index
- Giovanni Guareschi [Don Camillo 01] The Little World of Don Camillo (pdf)
- Christine Young [Highland 01] Highland Honor (pdf)
- Angela Verdenius [Heart & Soul 16] Soul of a Guardian (pdf)
- Chalker Jack L W Świecie Studni 5 Zmierzch przy Studni Dusz (pdf)
- Dahlia Rose, Brenda Steele, Regina Paul, Dorian Wallace Mating Season (anth.) (pdf)
- Cooper McKenzie [Menage Amour 161 Club Esotera 03] Minding Mistress (pdf)
- Dena Garson [Emerald Isle Fantasies 03] Ghostly Persuasion [EC Twilight] (pdf)
- 33 1 3 087 Serge Gainsbourg's Histoire de Melody Nelson Darran Anderson (pdf)
- Alan Burt Akers [Dray Prescot 07] Arena of Antares (pdf)
- Star Fire Ingo Swann
- zanotowane.pl
- doc.pisz.pl
- pdf.pisz.pl
- epicusfuror.xlx.pl
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Your shirt won t be the only thing that will remain un-
tucked, my friend. I lifted my chin and a cool breeze
caught my hair and blew it off my neck. I shivered but went
on. In fact, as far as I m concerned, you can just go right
back into the lobby there and find that nice salvage man
and talk to him all you want. Maybe he ll appreciate your
tucking sense of humor.
148 Annie Flannigan
You have to come down here sometime, you know.
I considered threatening to pull one of those stunts that
make the last few seconds of the evening news. Woman lives
in endangered tree for three months. Man breaks world billboard-
sitting record to draw attention to cause.
In the end I merely folded my arms and spoke the truth.
I thought we agreed we should keep our distance from
each other.
If we keep our distance, how will we ever see eye to
eye?
It s not our eyes I m worried about, Ry. Every en-
counter with him had left me more uncertain of the things
I had always counted as permanent and everlasting in my
life. Knowing that he wanted to try to preserve some part of
this place I held precious only made me waver more in my
convictions. What good could come of meeting with Ry
O Malley eye to eye and heart to heart?
A flash of his hands on my naked thigh, of both of us
stripped of all the game playing and every last scrap of
clothing filled my mind. I wet my lips.
Where this one man was concerned, could I find a way to
accept his kind of compromise without forever compromis-
ing myself?
The wind whipped past, causing only the uppermost
part of the sign to wobble. Instinctively I reached out to pro-
tect and steady Esther. Even as I did it, I realized I had
grabbed onto the icon as a means of steadying something
deep within myself.
I inhaled slowly, taking in the very essence of the place I
loved so much. I would be all right, no matter what. For a
woman standing so high up, I did have my roots in this
L ove and a Bad Hair Day 149
town and my feet on the ground. Not even Ry O Malley
and whatever transpired between us could change that.
Behind me I heard a door slam. A cautious glance over
my shoulder told me that people were arriving for the big
after-market meal at my grandmother s house.
I sidled toward the ladder. I can t stay here now, Ry.
I didn t really expect you to stay up there, Jolie. The
unnatural glow of the electric lights brought out the day s-
end shadow along his jaw and made the lines around his
eyes appear deeper. His dimples flashed. He seemed to cre-
ate his own light that chased away the grayness of the mo-
ment. Like I said, I m all too happy to wait for you to come
down to talk to me.
No . . . I . . . I tested the soundness of the ladder with
the toe of my shoe. I have to go to my grandmother s
or
People will talk.
They do, you know.
He nodded.
So, that s it, then?
What?
You aren t going to hear me out because . . . because
people will talk?
I looked at the figure, then at the lights of Verbena. What
are you going to do about Esther?
I don t know.
If he had out-and-out lied just to appease me I d have
known it. And if he had lied, I had to admit as I twisted
around to lower myself onto the first rung of the ladder, I d
have known what to do next.
Will you promise to try to save her? Really save her?
150 Annie Flannigan
Will you promise to sit down with me and listen to my
side of all this?
You suggesting a trade-off?
No, I m asking for a favor.
I climbed onto the ladder and watched the figure shift
from standing to diving diving into the night with noth-
ing to catch her. I sighed. Okay. We can get together but
not tonight.
Fine. I m expecting one last vital part for the Starliner to
come in tomorrow and I promised Dylan I d see if I could
put it on. Maybe you can come by and talk to me while I
work on the car.
I froze on the ladder. The car? Go with him to the garage
where we had almost . . . I swallowed and kept climbing
down. Well, maybe . . .
He did not move away from the ladder.
I moved downward, step by step, right into the circle of
his arms.
He smelled of air-freshened cotton and the last remnants
of aftershave. He towered over me and yet I did not feel
small. With my body fitting perfectly to his I felt warm and
woozy and safe. I felt like the whole world could shift and
shake itself silly all around us and I would not feel a thing.
Somewhere, deep in the recesses of reason, I knew the
sensation was only wishful thinking and would be tempo-
rary at best. Right now I did not care.
He kissed me, not hard but thoroughly, decisively.
I eased my arms around him, my fingers curving to draw
him closer even as I arched my back to meet him hip to hip,
to press my breasts against the unyielding plane of his
chest.
L ove and a Bad Hair Day 151
Ry groaned. It was that moment where one of us had to
take the kiss a step deeper or back off, move apart and let
reality sink in.
He eased me away from him.
I know I shouldn t have done that, but I
Shh. Don t spoil the moment.
Too bad we can t preserve that, huh?
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]