Demanding Ransom by Megan Squires Read Free Book Online Page A

weekend.
    “Can I come in?” He looks past me toward the
living room where Mikey is perched at the very edge of the couch, his hands
held to his mouth as his knees bounce nervously up and down, counting down the
last seconds of the game on the big screen.
    “Uh, yeah, I guess.” I slide to the right, but
Ran is already in the entryway. “I don’t remember giving you a compliment that
night. I just remember saying that I couldn’t wait to get out of the
ambulance.”
    Ran shakes his head and purses his lips. “Nope.
You did,” he replies confidently. “You said ‘You guys did a good job with my
leg.’ Since it was only half a compliment and I had to share it with Trav, you
just got daisies.” He settles his helmet onto the rustic wooden bench next to
the front door that is usually littered with Mikey’s football gear. “If you had
phrased it like this, ‘Ran, you are my hero for saving my life,’ you would have
gotten roses.”
    I want to hold it in because I don’t like the
idea of giving him the satisfaction, but a snort of a laugh flies out of me.
    “Gesundheit.”
    “I didn’t sneeze, I laughed.”
    Ran cocks his head. “You laugh through your nose?”
    “Only when I’m trying not to.” My cheeks
radiate about 104 degrees and I tuck my chin into the scarf twisted around my
neck, wishing I could disappear into its fabric. Why does he make me so
nervous?
    “It’s not nice to laugh at someone who brings
you a gift,” Ran reprimands, looking past me again, this time down the hall.
“Let’s go put these in your room.” He scoops the bouquet out of my hands and
pushes past me, but I grab his elbow, making him spin on his heels so we’re
face to face. The act surges a frigid chill throughout my entire nervous
system, and I’m pretty certain my heart ceases beating the second his eyes lock
with mine. I drop my hand quickly and shove it into my pocket.
    “I don’t know if you should be in my room.”
    “Maggie,” he says, a mocking note held in his
tone. “I’ve been in your room before.” Ran rolls his eyes at me dramatically.
“And that was in the middle of the
night. It’s eleven in the morning now, a much more acceptable time for
visitors.”
    I follow him down the hall to my bedroom like a
scolded puppy with her tail between her legs. Seriously, who is this guy?
    “You need a vase.” He surveys my room, but
there’s nothing remotely close to a vase in it. His eyes falter when they catch
my packed suitcase situated at the foot of my bed instead. “What’s that?” Ran
drops the flowers down to this side and a canary yellow petal slips onto the
floor.
    “I’m heading back to school this afternoon.”
    “What?” he blurts. He reclaims his composure
and continues, “You’re leaving town today?” His voice cracks slightly.
    I nod, not sure why any of this matters to him.
“Yes, my roommate is picking me up after lunch.”
    “So you don’t have lunch plans then.” Ran pulls
a random beer stein that once belonged to my grandpa from a shelf on the wall
and shoves the daisies into it, stuffing them into place. They look absolutely
ridiculous, but so did the balloons, and so does his face right now as he steps
back, admiring his absurd floral arrangement proudly.
    “No, I guess not.”
    “Well.” He grabs me by the hand and takes two
longs strides toward the door. His fingers are warm and interlock perfectly
with mine. “You do now.”
    Ran drags me at arm’s length behind him back to
the entryway but stops short when he sees his helmet on the bench. “Crap,” he
breathes, stroking his jaw with his one free hand. Man, he’s got a nice
jawline—perfectly square and angular. The tight ball of muscle pulses at
the back of it as he clenches his teeth. “Your car’s totaled from the accident,
yeah?”
    I nod.
    “And you don’t happen to have a helmet lying
around, do you?”
    I shake my head.
    “Mikey,” Ran calls over his shoulder. “You have
a ride we can