Flawed (Blaze of Glory #2) by Cherry Shephard Read Free Book Online Page B

eyes fall on the pile of Luke’s clothes and my heart breaks all over again. I don’t understand how he could just leave me after three years together; did he ever love me at all? I saw a side of him I didn’t like that night at the restaurant, a side of him I’ve never seen before. He was so cold… distant. Forget him, Nat, I scold myself as I shake my head. He’s nothing but a jerk. Scooping them up, I march outside and dump them in the trash, feeling a smug sense of satisfaction as I slam the lid closed and brush my hands clean on my skirt. I know it’s probably a shitty thing to do and I’ll probably regret it later, but right now it feels pretty damn good to me. I hear my cell phone ringing inside and rush to answer it. “Hello?”
    “Hey, Bitch,” Mel yells in my ear. “What are you doing tonight? I heard there’s this great new bar opening.”
    “I can’t, remember?” I laugh as I walk back through to the living room and close my suitcase. Checking the clock on the wall, I note that the cab will be here in about five minutes. “I’m looking after my sister’s bar for two weeks.”
    “Boo,” Mel says, slightly slurring her words. I grin as I shake my head, she can’t be drunk already, it’s barely four pm. “I’m sorry,” I tell her, resting the phone between my cheek and my shoulder as I chuck my phone charger in a duffel bag and spray deodorant beneath my arms. I can hear her talking in the background to a man, ordering another drink. “I’ll catch up with you when I get back, I promise.”
    “You better,” she says, “you owe me.”
    After hanging up, I walk through the house, checking all the locks. Pausing in the bedroom, I lean against the door and stare at the bed where Luke and I slept just a few short weeks ago. Somehow though, I’m not hurting as much as I thought I would be. What’s up with that? A car horn awakens me from my thoughts, and I walk back through to the living room. Peering through the curtains, I see a yellow cab waiting out front. Zipping up my suitcase, I grab my duffel bag and shove my phone in in my bra as I walk out the door.
     
    ***
     
    We’re driving into the small, Texan, countryside town when the cab driver glances at me in the rearview mirror and, for the hundredth time, I wish I were wearing a longer skirt. My hand rests lightly on my stomach that’s just beginning to curve; so far, I just look plump, not pregnant. I don’t know how I’m going to cope with motherhood. Is it even something I want at this stage of my life? Abortion is something I’ve never considered, but I’ve just finished college and haven’t even had the chance to use my degree yet.
    The cab pulls up outside Saddles, and I pass the money over the driver’s shoulder and tap my fingers impatiently as I wait for the change. I wish I had my own car, but with college fees taking up most of my money I just couldn’t afford the upkeep. He finally hands the change over, his fingers brushing against mine in an almost intimate caress. Snatching my hand back, I push open the door and step out before turning and leaning back inside to retrieve my bags, pressing one knee into the seat as I bend over. I freeze when someone clears their throat directly behind me, and in my haste to get out of the car, I bump my head on the doorframe. “Fuck,” I curse, rubbing the top of my head as I turn with a scowl of annoyance. But immediately, I feel as though the air has been sucked from my lungs as I stare at the man... no, beast , standing in front of me with a wry, lopsided grin. He’s tall—I would barely reach his shoulder without heels—and his shoulders are broad, at least twice the width of mine. I’m suddenly made aware of my tiny stature, but I still force myself to throw my hair back and square my shoulders as I meet his eyes. His beautiful blue eyes, framed by dark-rimmed glasses. When did the geek look become so sexy? When it’s on a tall, buff beast of a man, my mind taunts. His