Captivate Me by Ryan Michele Read Free Book Online Page A

I’d find her here in this exact spot, watching some Brad Pitt movie. Women.
    I lift her feet to her surprise and sit down, putting her feet on my lap. She calms the moment she sees it’s me.
    “He’s going to be in trouble, isn’t he?” Her eyes flicker with concern.
    I have to admit that I love the fact that she cares so much about Buzz. He deserves that, deserves to have a good woman who will stand by him.
    I place my hand on her leg, giving it a slight squeeze. “Club business,” is my only response.
    She sighs, saying nothing, like my answer is satisfactory, then goes back to the movie. That’s another reason she’s good for my brother: she doesn’t ask questions. She accepts fate and moves on. It takes a strong woman to do that without giving any shit for it.
    “Why aren’t you with Princess and Angel?” I ask.
    She turns her head my way. “I’m tired. The adrenaline from getting the call and racing here crashed, so I told them I wanted to lie down for a bit. They’ve been taking shifts, coming down here and saying they’re making sure I’m alright. But I know it’s because Buzz told them to keep an eye on me.”
    “That’s a good thing, Bella. We don’t want another man trying to take what Buzz considers his.”
    Her eyes come to mine. “Huh?”
    “Just let them keep checking on you. What about school?”
    “I have one exam left. I called my professor and told him there was a family emergency, and he said I could take it online.” She shrugs. “It’s open notes, anyway. And then I’m on break for a while.”
    I pat her legs. “Then you’re good. I’ve got shit to do.”
    She nods, moving her legs from my lap as I rise, and she continues watching her movie. From her droopy eyes, I know she’ll be out soon. I smile, noting to myself to come back and check on her.
    “You owe me five hundred dollars,” Bella says from across the table in the basement of the clubhouse.
    “What the fuck?” I growl.
    I can’t believe this woman roped me into playing fucking Monopoly. I played a few times as a kid, but fuck, I had to do a quick read of the damn rules. Rules, I fucking hate rules, but Bella is a damn stickler for them.
    “You landed on my Park Place with two houses. Pay up!” she says with a laugh that pulls you in.
    Even if it is a fucking damn game, I don’t like giving up my money. Still, I count out the cash and hand it over to her.
    She snatches the fake money with an award-winning smile. “Thank you.”
    “You’re a pain in the ass,” I tell her jokingly.
    “You love me,” she retorts.
    I shake my head, loving the easy comradery between Bella and me.
    “I’m down to fifty bucks, Bella. It’s safe to say you won.” I look at all of the cash she has piled up, along with all of her property. I really don’t give a shit about the game, so I fully admit that I didn’t put much effort into it.
    “You can sell your properties.”
    I look down at my lonely five cards then up at her with a quirk of my brow. “Even if I sell, I’m out.”
    I’ve been trying to keep Bella company while Buzz is doing club business. He didn’t ask me to or anything like that; I just thought she would like a change of scenery from being with the ol’ ladies.
    “Fine,” she huffs, but I can tell she doesn’t mean it. “Let’s watch a movie,” she suggests as she begins to put the pieces of the game away.
    “Sure.” I have nothing pressing that needs to be done, and with Buzz and Tug here, no one is at our apartment. Might as well hang out. “What?”
    She finishes putting the last pieces away. “ Ocean’s Eleven ,” she answers, which makes me pretty happy. That is so much better than a fucking chick flick.
    She puts the board away, and then we move over to the couch. She lies on one end, resting her head on the arm, and I sit on the other with her feet in my lap. She cues up the movie, and it begins.
    A while into it, she shifts, looking down the couch at me. “Can I ask you