Collide by Juliana Stone Read Free Book Online Page A

up together?”
Billie asked quietly.
    “I don’t know.”
    “What?”
    “I don’t know,” she repeated. “After Gramps
took me home I had to get away so I hopped into my car and drove.”
She sighed and glanced out the window again. “I can’t believe Shane
and I both ended up at the Hard Rock over in Chesterfield.”
    “That dive? Really? So what happened after
you got to Shane’s?”
    Bobbi squeezed her eyes shut and blocked out
the bed. The big ass bed with the tangled sheets. “I don’t know. I
mean, I don’t think anything happened.”
    “You don’t think? You can’t remember?”
    She shook her head and whispered, “No.””
    “Well, Shane would never take advantage of
you. He’s not that guy.”
    “It’s not Shane I’m worried about. I wasn’t
exactly myself last night and when I get that way sometimes things
tend to...well, get out of control and I do stupid things.”
    “Like sleeping with the man you’re still in
love with?”
    Shock held Bobbi’s tongue and she inhaled
sharply, wincing as the pain inside her head exploded once
more.
    “How can you say…” She needed to catch her
breath. “Why would you say that?” she sputtered. “I haven’t been
involved with Shane for years and in case you’ve forgotten, the man
is an ex-con. In what world would I ever get involved with someone
who’s been in jail?” She groaned as another shot of pain rifled
across her forehead. “Besides, I’m engaged! Why the hell would
I…”
    Bobbi’s knees were shaking so hard they
almost gave out. Fuck . How could she still be engaged when
she’d…
    “You walked out on your wedding, Bobbi. So,
tell me again that you have no feelings for Shane.”
    “Look,” she exhaled. “I just had a case of
the jitters. There’s no way Shane factored in on any of what went
down yesterday.”
    “Uh huh. You know what I think?”
    Now irritated, Bobbi’s tone sharpened. “No, I
don’t want to know what you think.”
    “I think that the only reason you got engaged
in the first place, is because Shane came back home. And—”
    “Shut-up, Billie.”
    “And I think that the reason you hurried your
engagement along and decided to get married so quickly, was because
of—”
    “Billie,” she warned.
    “Shane. I think you had your version of a
perfect life all mapped out and then he came home and screwed it up
because the two of you have still have feelings for each
other.”
    “Oh my god, you’ve seriously lost it. Are you
drunk?” Bobbi asked harshly.
    “Nope. Apparently that was you last night. I
feel pretty damn good if you wanna know the truth.”
    “Where are you?” Bobbi asked, an abrupt
change of subject, but a smart move when she felt cornered.
    “Home, with Dad and Gramps. Why?”
    “Oh, I thought you’d be at Logan’s.”
    “No, he had a family thing this morning that
he couldn’t get out of and I didn’t want to leave Gramps and Dad
alone.”
    “Where’s Betty?”
    “Who knows? After the reception she left
with—”
    “Reception? They went ahead with it?”
    “Yeah, they did which I thought was really
nice of Gerry. And can I just say how much the menu rocked? Like,
the scallops were divine and those little stuffed mushroom
thingies? Heck I don’t know what they were stuffed with but—”
    “How’s Gerald?” she interrupted, her lips
tight, her face flushed. Would he ever forgive her?
    She heard Billie sigh. “Well, for a guy who
was stood up on his wedding day and left at the altar, he seems
sorta, well….”
    “Billie, just say it.”
    “He’s devastated. How did you think he would
feel?”
    Tears sprang to Bobbi’s eyes. How had she let
this happen? How could she do this to the man she had pledged to
love?
    The man she did love. So what if it
wasn’t the mad, passionate sort of thing she’d experienced in the
past. With Shane . That kind of love had nearly destroyed
her.
    “Shit,” she said hoarsely. “What have I
done?”
    But there was no quick reply of