If I Tell by Janet Gurtler Read Free Book Online Page B

weight took the breath out of me, and I pushed to get him off. He rolled over and up onto his elbow. His dark skin, even darker in the shadows, made mine look pale, almost white. I stared at it, aching.
    “What are you playin’ at?” He sat up, rubbing his bald head.
    I blinked back fresh tears and bit my lip but didn’t answer.
    He pushed himself off the bed, shaking his head. “You’re a tease.” He swore as he zipped up his pants. I didn’t even know they’d been undone. “You’re lucky, you know. Not everyone would stop after the way you were leading me on.”
    I swallowed hard to keep bile inside. “Thank you,” I said with as much sarcasm as I could muster.
    “Shit.” He shook his head again and coughed. “I forget how young you are sometimes. Seventeen.”
    I sat up and hugged my arms around myself.
    The corner of his top lip turned upward. He reached for my hand. “Not many chicks are still innocent at your age. I kind of like it. I guess I can wait for you. For a little while.”
    I pulled away, pretending to scratch behind my back.
    “Don’t worry. This wasn’t a onetime thing,” he said softly. “I’m into you.”
    I shook my head quickly back and forth. No. It was definitely a onetime thing. Alcohol induced. I wanted no part of doing that again. My head swam from the amount I’d drunk. So much for forgetting my problems. I’d just made them worse.
    As I got up, the charms on my bracelet clanged softly against each other. I hoped dead people couldn’t see what was happening. Grandpa Joe would have keeled over at my behavior. Well, keeled over again.
    “You need a drink?” Nathan asked.
    “No,” I said quickly. “Go on down. I’ll be there in a minute or so.” My cheeks flamed, and I willed him to go away.
    He leaned over to kiss me, but I turned my head so he kissed my cheek. “I’ll meet you downstairs,” I repeated.
    “Sure. Okay.”
    He reached for my hand. “We’ll finish this.”
    I flinched. As soon as he closed the door, I ran to the bathroom, barely reaching the toilet before the contents of my stomach spewed out.
    Great. Just great.
    After cleaning up, I tiptoed through the hallway to the kitchen back entrance. My bare feet hit cold pavement and I winced. It didn’t matter. Grandma would kill me, but I’d rather go home shoeless than face anyone inside the house.
    I stumbled, my fuzzy head struggling to focus in the cool of the night air.
    I concentrated on walking forward, shivering and wrapping my arms around myself. The pavement was a cold reminder of what a bad idea running away in my bare feet was. I had more than two miles to walk. In a T-shirt and jeans and no shoes.
    Stupid. I didn’t even have my cell. I’d left it in my backpack in Nathan’s car. The lights from an oncoming car shone behind me. I hunched my shoulders, trying to be invisible and willing the driver not to notice me.
    The headlights glowed bright. A surge of panic raced through me. The car slowed as it approached.

chapter five
    The car pulled up beside me. I picked up my pace until I was on the verge of breaking into a run.
    “Hey. Slow down. You’re going to freeze to death,” a voice yelled.
    “Get lost,” I snapped without looking up. Great. To top off my night, I’d be killed on the side of the road by a serial killer or something. I tried to remember if there’d been any reports of killers in the news.
    “Hello? I’m trying to save you from freezing to death.”
    I recognized the voice.
    “Jackson?” I stopped walking and peered into the driver’s seat of the car. “What are you doing here?”
    “I’m a regular knight,” he said. “Come on, get in.” He put the car in park.
    I wrapped my arms around myself and shivered, but I didn’t move.
    Jackson stuck his head out the open window and peered at my feet. “You don’t have shoes on. Come on. Get in the car.”
    “Congratulations,” I told him. “You win the award as the most observant person on the