Draw Me In by Regina Cole Regina Cole Read Free Book Online Page B

grown-up, far away from there.
    I hadn’t known that distance wouldn’t solve the problem.
    I’d stayed in the art building until security had tossed me out at eleven, but even though I’d had two hours of uninterrupted art therapy, I wasn’t close to feeling better. Lily and Courtney, had done their damnedest to get me dressed and out to the clubs, but I’d refused. They’d finally gotten the message and left without me. As much as I hated disappointing my friends, I would have hated ruining their night even more. I’d have been a complete misery at the club. No way could I go out and party tonight. My heart just wasn’t in it.
    I let my lids slide closed, trying to empty my brain. It wasn’t working. Everyone’s faces swam in front of me one at a time. First Mom and Dad, then Dr. Fields. Then my friends. Tasha. Neill.
    I flung my arm over my eyes, trying to make the image go away. Neill . God, why did he have to be so freaking gorgeous? And he was sweet. He’d been so nice every time I had run into him today. He’d brought me a bottle of water, showed me where things were, even reached for a clipboard that was on the top shelf, too high for me to reach. Simple stuff, really. Nothing I should even remember. But his eyes said much more than his lips had. His eyes said he was interested in me.
    “And that’s dangerous,” I whispered into the darkness. “I don’t need this complication.”
    But something deep inside me wanted it. Bad. Worse than I’d ever wanted anyone else, including the few guys I’d briefly dated and thought I’d loved. In fact, they really didn’t compare at all.
    Groaning, I rolled over and stuffed the edge of the pillow in my mouth. Shut up, Hailey. Go to sleep, Hailey. You have to wake up in . . . I checked the glowing green numbers of my alarm clock.
    “Shit. It’s three a.m.”
    Rising, I shuffled to the suite’s shared bathroom and pulled open the medicine cabinet. Grabbing the bottle of Benadryl with the handwritten label “Hailey” on it, I tapped out one of the little pink and white pills and swallowed it with a handful of water from the tap. I should be able to sleep it off before work.
    I leaned over, peering through the gap in the cracked door. The narrow beam of light spilling from the bathroom fell on Jackie’s rumpled bed. Still empty .
    Clicking off the light, I made my way back to bed. Just a few more hours and I’d see Neill again. Huh. I shoved my feet under the covers, rubbing them together briskly to try and warm them. I shouldn’t want to see him again. Even though looking at my hot boss might take my mind off my troubles.
    I curled around my pillow, concentrating on breathing deeply and emptying my mind of everything, including my hot, tattooed boss. Within ten minutes, I couldn’t open my eyes anymore.
    The fog of allergy medication had barely cleared when my alarm blared at eleven a.m. I slammed my fist down on the button, blinking blearily at the brightness of the room. Yawning, I propped myself upright on one arm and ran my fingers through my tangled mop of hair, which seemed to be stuck to my left cheek.
    Jackie’s bed was still empty. That wasn’t unusual. Jackie spent most of her weekends out with friends, getting stoned out of her brain and making bad choices. She’d invited me a few times, but that really wasn’t my thing. Small groups were good, large numbers of strangers? Not so much. It was good that Sinful Skin was a small business, and so friendly that I kind of already felt like I belonged.
    Speaking of which . . . I grabbed my clothes and made quick work of a shower, scrubbing my hair and conditioning the ends. Low voices came through my suitemate’s door to the bathroom, indicating that they were awake. Normally, I’d open the door and we’d all go down to the dining hall together, but today there wasn’t time. With one eye on the clock, I dressed with care, making sure to wear my nicest jeans and a sage-green tank with a deep