Kiss Me Twice by Jami Alden Read Free Book Online

the unclean feeling had finally ebbed, but now renewed anger and guilt were sharp in her chest. Fury at Jeremy for thinking he had the right to hurt her, to teach her a lesson. Anger at Mike for not even bothering to listen, for having so little faith in her that he hadn't realized how badly she was hurt.
    And guilt that she'd let her feelings of insecurity drive her to put herself in such a vulnerable position.
    She'd thought she was over it, that with the endless hours of therapy she'd finally managed to put the past where it belonged and forgive the stupid, naive teenager she'd been. Thought herself ready to move on and develop a happy, healthy relationship with a nice guy who really would love her for the wonderful person she was.
    She shouldn't care what Mike thought of her. It shouldn't matter that he thought of her as a slut, the kind of woman who slept with one guy to get back at another. The kind of woman who would cheat.
    Even though he'd ultimately taken over tonight, as far as he was concerned, she'd used him in her revenge on some poor unsuspecting sap who had fallen prey to her wiles.
    It shouldn't matter, but it did. Obviously, dealing with issues in the therapist's office was one thing. Facing them and the people involved head on was quite another. Instead of trying to have a constructive conversation with Mike, she'd slipped right back into her old habits the minute she sensed a threat.
    She remembered her mother's words on her deathbed, telling Karen how much she loved her, and in the same breath how disappointed she was in the person Karen had become.
    Manipulative. Cold. "Not a nice girl," as her mother had put it.
    And that wasn't even a critique on her sex life.
    Karen had made a lot of mistakes. A lot of bad choices. Her mother's death had finally forced her to confront and own up to them. Now she had to face the fact that a lot of people—herself, Mike, and her family included—had fallen victim to her bone-deep belief that no one would ever really love her. Making things right with them was going to be even harder than she'd feared.
    Long-suppressed sobs tore from her chest as she ground the heels of her hands against her eyes. She hated feeling like this, hated knowing that Mike couldn't stand her.
    If only he'd been a little nicer to her.
    No, this was her fault. She'd chosen to counter Mike's barbs with her super-seductress routine. She'd had the opportunity to act different, to be different, and instead she'd slipped right back into her old tricks the moment she felt threatened.
    Now she mentally castigated herself for not making the slightest effort to tell the truth that was now burning a hole in her gut.
    She picked up the phone.
    Kit answered on the third ring. "'Lo?"
    "It's me."
    "Kar? It’s—
    Karen looked at the clock and winced. "One-thirty. Shit, I’m sorry."
    "No, it's cool. I was up late working anyway since Jake's in Reno for the bachelor party."
    Karen smiled. Kit, her best friend from high school, had such a different life from her own. Last year she got engaged to Jake Donovan and had moved to Boston, and her first book was coming out early next year.
    "Oh yeah, I forgot he was here too," Karen said.
    Kit was absolutely silent for several seconds, then, "What do you mean, ‘too?' Where are you?"
    Karen picked nervously at a chip in her nail polish. "Kit, I did something really dumb."
    "You slept with Brad?"
    "No," she replied. "But why would that be stupid? You knew I was going away with him."
    "Yeah, but a girl can hope. Brad always sounded like a total tool. Where are you?" she repeated.
    "Brad and I had a fight, and I'm staying here"look, Brad has nothing to do with this."
    "Then what?
    "I ran into Mike Donovan tonight."
    "Oh no."
    "Oh yes."
    "Did you talk to him?" Kit asked hopefully.
    "Not really. I slept with him."
    "You dumb bitch."
    Karen winced. Kit's direct, no-nonsense manner was what she had loved about her from the first day they met. Kit had moved to Donner Lake