Body and Soul (Body and Soul Trilogy) by Jamie Loeak Read Free Book Online Page A

That’s what this is. You said it could be different right now, but it’s not. Meeting you is the reason I’m trying to keep you safe. I would do the same for Adriana, even your parents,” he said.
    Of course , Kate thought. He would definitely save Adriana too. Kate crossed her arms, suddenly annoyed with Rico.
    “You should go,” she said quickly. “It’s getting cold outside and I think I’m going to go in and get dressed. My parents and I are going in to Tampa tonight to grab dinner and go shopping. We’re going to be there for the whole weekend so you won’t need to hang out outside my window.”
    Rico nodded and turned to leave. Kate stared, watching him just walk away without so much as a goodbye or see you later. Rico didn’t seem like the type of person to hate saying goodbye; he could have had any girl he wanted. Kate let her thoughts drift back to her last boyfriend, remembering their goodbye.
    Kate had dated a senior during her freshman year. He had been a baseball player, with an excellent home run average, and a scholarship to a local university. His blonde wavy hair and blue eyes made him someone that all of the girls chased. Kate was lucky that she caught him, but realized quickly that he didn’t care about her like he did his friends or baseball practice. She had been one of the four girls he left when baseball season started up. It was a different freshman girl each year; they were the only ones that didn’t know about his schemes. They were the only ones innocent enough to fall for them, and they were the only ones that upperclassmen loved to see fall into the trap he created each year.
    Kate blinked, and focused on something positive. She was going to get out of her small beach town for a couple days. She was going to be able to think about things that didn’t remind her of demons, Rico, or her safety.

 
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 6
     
    Kate walked up the front steps of the beach house a few days later, hands filled with shopping bags and her suitcase. She pushed open the familiar buttercup door and walked up to her bedroom, tossing everything on her bed. She walked back downstairs, eager to see the white sand and blue waves of her backyard beach.
    Kate had enjoyed Tampa. She loved the large shopping malls, the beautiful houses and upscale restaurants. It was nice, being able to escape the turmoil of her days alone at the beach house. Now that she was back, she was glad to be here. She couldn’t imagine why people wanted to live in large, spectacular houses that were too beautiful to really live in, when they could find a quiet place on the beach somewhere.
    The sand was waiting for her. The wind had erased Kate’s footprints while she was gone, leaving a fresh new canvas. Kate ran across the smooth surface, enjoying the feeling of moving her stiff muscles, laughing because she felt pure freedom in her ability to run with the waves.
    “You look like you’re h aving fun,” Adriana commented.
    Kate turned and smiled at Adriana. “I haven’ t seen you in a while,” she replied. “How was your weekend?”
    “Busy. My dad and I sold quite a bit of bait this weekend so I had to spend a lot of time driving back and forth, delivering larger and larger amounts because of the rush of people. What did you do this weekend?”
    “I went into Tampa with my family. We shopped and checked out some sites, including the Florida Aquarium,” Kate said, rolling her eyes in Adriana’s direction.
    “Well, it looks like we both got lucky this weekend,” Adriana said with a smile.
    Kate looked at her and offered a smile in return, understanding the meaning behind Adriana’s words. Both girls were lucky to have spent time with their families, since neither one got to very often.
    Kate liked the sense of kinship she felt around Adriana. She had never found a girl that had the same feelings she had, and it was easy to trust her new acquaintance. She looked at Adriana then, taking in her dark features