Explosive Memories by Sherri Thomas Read Free Book Online Page B

in her mind.
    Unable to give in to her desires, she perched on the edge of the couch. You’re stronger than this. You do not need a cowboy to hold you up. She pulled her armor back in place and straightened her back.
    “Maybe we can help find each other.” He settled on the sofa and leaned forward, his leg brushing hers. “What’s the harm in that?”
    “A lot.” Feeling his gaze, she lowered her sights to the floor.
    The silence stretched until she was sure she’d explode from feeling him next to her, feeling the inquisitive stare.
    “I looked for you.”
    Her stomach swooped downward. If he’d discovered what happened in the months following, surely he’d have confronted her…wouldn’t he? She searched his face for a clue. If she reflected on the outcome of their night together, she’d go on overload for sure.
    “No one knew the mysterious girl who blew in and out of my life. I guess if I’d known your real name, maybe I’d have gotten answers, huh?”
    Realizing he never found out about her condition, she relaxed her tight shoulder muscles a fraction. Still, by not giving him her given name, she not only protected herself needlessly from her parents discovering her whereabouts, but she also prevented him from locating her.
    She’d asked about him, too. Turned out Rachelle didn’t know the gang at the fire. Her friend had overheard a group at the mall discussing the bonfire and, always one for adventure, happened to get directions from one of her acquaintances.
    Weeks later, Jordan even found herself driving around trying to find the shack where she’d spent the night with the very hot and sexy cowboy, trying to find one last sliver of sunshine in her increasingly darkening world after the last night she ever disobeyed her parents. The weeks following her parents’ death, life as she knew it tumbled out of control. Having nowhere to go, she moved in with her only living relatives.
    What a mistake.
    He fingered a strand of hair on her shoulder. “You told me you wanted to live on the edge. You never wanted to grow up.”
    “Yeah, well, we all know that’s not possible.” Not able to sit close any longer, she sprang to her feet and fled to the kitchen window. She stared out the glass toward the barns as the last shadows disappeared behind the rolling pasture.
    After a few moments, she inhaled a deep breath and faced him.
    Trent observed the anguish in Jordan’s beautiful face. Time and maturity sharpened her features, making her breathtaking, but the pain lurking in the depths of those mesmerizing blue eyes caught him off guard, as much as seeing her at his family’s table. She returned from his past, but Darcy introducing her as Jordan had given him a momentary pause. But the longer he stayed next to her, listening to the voice, his thigh rubbing hers, he knew this was his Lynn no matter what name she used.
    But why the hell did he care?
    She was the one who never called him after that night. And he’d be damned if he’d ask why or chase after a woman that didn’t want him. Hadn’t he been through enough?
    Yet, here he was, reminiscing, feeling her, kissing her. Damn it. This black-haired beauty always carried a different affect on him. She made him feel alive, something he thought he’d never feel again. His body recharged, and the impact rammed him harder than the bullet that had pierced his shoulder.
    She put her arms around herself in a protective gesture. “I was a teenager walking on the wild side. A little reckless if you ask me.”
    Where was this coming from? She’d trekked from wild and rebellious to borderline uptight. Was she capable of changing that much?
    Yes. Look at April.
    No!
    He refused to venture down that road. After all, his ex-fiancée hadn’t changed. His eyes just opened to her bipolar disorder. Never had he underwent this rush of adrenaline or gut clenching awareness with April.
    Contrary to the words coming out of this lady’s mouth, he refused to believe her.