Fast Connection (Cyberlove #2) by Megan Erickson, Santino Hassell Read Free Book Online Page B

off with his other hand. With the picture was a message.
Been doing yoga. Your loss motherfucker.
    The circle next to his avatar went gray, and I was already in a ball, laughing so hard I thought I was going to pop a blood vessel in my eye. Apparently my joy was alarming because Chelle burst into my room.
    Her eyes went wide. “What is that sound? Are you crying?”
    “Laughing.”
    Her confusion did not waver. “Laughing?”
    I wiped my eyes and stood up. “Yeah, laughing.”
    “You don’t laugh that hard,” she said, following me into the hall.
    “Well I’m capable of it, because I just did.”
    “What were you doing?” The inquisition persisted as she jogged down the stairs behind me. “Were you watching that meme about the lady in the Chewbacca mask?”
    “What?” I asked just as the front door opened. Micah walked in. His cheeks were a ruddy pink from the brisk September night. I scanned him, happy to see everything was intact. “You okay?”
    “Yeah.”
    “What’s going on with Adriana?”
    He shrugged off his jacket and followed us into the kitchen. “I don’t know. Her brother Nicky is back living with them, and she said everything’s changed. And her father is worse.”
    Nicky? There was another Costigan? Great. “Is she all right?”
    Micah watched as I took some chicken breasts out of the fridge. “Yeah, she’s okay.”
    “She knows if she acts all pathetic, you’ll pay attention to her, Micah.” Chelle popped a grape into her mouth from a bowl on the table. “And you give it to her every time.”
    Micah turned a fearsome glare toward his sister. “Shut up. You don’t know shit about her.”
    “Hey!” I cut in. “Don’t talk to your sister that way. And you,” I pointed to Chelle. “Don’t provoke him. I want to have a dinner without you two yelling at each other. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.”
    We ended up eating in uncomfortable silence. After cleaning up, each teen ran up to their room and slammed the door, which caused my head to start pounding,
    I could watch TV. Or read. Or do something productive like pay bills, but instead I found myself picking up my phone again and looking at the last picture Dominic had sent. He’d added another message.
    StaffSgt: You better not be looking at my ass and getting off. Perv.
    I smiled. Bantering with Dominic had been the highlight of my day.
    Luke: Already did that in the shower earlier.
    StaffSgt: For real?
    Luke: For real.
    StaffSgt: Good because I jerk off to the memory of you in my ass like twice a day.
    I shifted in my seat. Jesus Christ. I had to do something. I wasn’t forgetting about him, and he wasn’t forgetting about me. I could break my rule and see him one more time. Maybe it was what we both needed. One last scratch for the itch.
    Luke: Ok fine, let’s meet up again.
    StaffSgt: Maybe I don’t want to anymore
    I waited him out, and it didn’t take long
    StaffSgt: where and what time?
    Luke: My house again, 7:30 Friday night.
    StaffSgt: I gotta wait a whole week?
    Luke: Do you bitch about everything?
    StaffSgt: Yes, I do. Good thing you know how to shut me up tho, amirite?
    Luke: Looking forward to it.

Chapter Four
    Dominic
    “What are you in such a good mood about?”
    I should have known that coming up for dinner with an ear-to-ear cheesy smile would result in me getting grilled by the family. If there was one thing I hadn’t missed about living in the Costigan household, other than the constantly raised voices, arguing, nagging, and permanent smell of onion bagels, it was the nosiness. Not even discreet nosiness. Entitled, all up in it, demanding-to-know-what-you’re-looking-at-on-your-own-goddamn-phone, nosiness.
    “I counted the days until I can move out of here, and it put me in a great mood.”
    “Aw Nicky,” my mother said sadly. “My baby wants to leave me with these hooligans already?”
    “He’s not a baby,” Duffy barked. “He’s a grown man and—”
    I tuned them out and grabbed