Leaving Annalise (Katie & Annalise Book 2) by Pamela Fagan Hutchins Read Free Book Online Page A

Ava. Desperate, I stretched over to the bathtub and threw back the curtain. I couldn’t reach the faucet handles, though.
    I did an audio check on Nick. Still engrossed. I lifted my left foot. Just short. I scooted my butt to the edge of the toilet seat and tried again. Toe met chrome. Hallelujah! I scrunched my toes and applied clockwise pressure, and the sound of the water pouring into that tub was sweet music to my ears.
    Thank you, God, I whispered.
    Nick poked his head in the door. “Are you getting in the bathtub?”
    “Wait! I’m using the potty,” I said, and my voice squelched like feedback between a speaker and a microphone. I dropped my dress around me and assumed what I hoped was a dignified pose.
    “But you turned on the water,” he said.
    “A little privacy here, please?” I hoped I sounded airy and confident.
    “You’re beet red.”
    “I really don’t want to pee in front of you on our first date. Our first whatever that was.”
    Nick grinned, put his hands in the air, and backed out. “I could still hear you, you know.”
    “Shut uuuu-up,” I yelled as he closed the door.
    When I emerged from the bathroom, Nick was leaning back in bed with his eyes closed, wearing only his silver boxer briefs. Holy crap, he was sexy. I’d known he’d look good, and he’d felt pretty damn good the night before, but seeing his dark skin and smoothly defined body in the light of day hurtled over my expectations.
    I needed to show an interest in his sister and her baby.
    “So, is your sister OK?”
    He pursed his lips. “Not really. She’s kind of come unglued.”
    “What happened?”
    “She posted a picture on Facebook of her and Taylor by the pool in front of a sign that had the name of the condos on it. Derek showed up this morning, pounding on the door and screaming at her. He’s gone now.”
    “Sounds awful.”
    “Yeah.” He patted the bed beside him, in the middle. I looked for a graceful way to get from where I was to where he was, but there didn’t seem to be any way to accomplish that in an evening gown. I stepped around the pile of red bedspread on the floor and crawled across the bed on all fours to him, trying not to look like a really bad eighties rock video. I plopped down near him and wiggled closer. He slipped an arm around my shoulders and kissed my awful hair. “I’m sorry, I hate ignoring you, but I’ve got to help my sister right now.”
    By force of will, I kept my lower lip from extending. “I understand.” I didn’t, though. Why didn’t she just call the police? What could Nick do from here? This was our first morning together, a morning for room service and nakedness.
    No, that wasn’t fair. I could understand. I just didn’t like it.
    I stared past my feet over the end of the bed at the tan low-nap carpet. Practical. Sensible. Like I needed to try to be.
    “I’m sorry,” Nick said again. The red light on his Blackberry started blinking. New message. New message. Read me now. READ ME NOW, it screamed. Or maybe it didn’t, but it might as well have. I hated that phone.
    “That’s fine,” I said. “Really. I need to run back to Ava’s anyway. Shower. Change clothes. That kind of thing.” Immediately, I wished I hadn’t said it. What if he didn’t want me to come back? What if he got on a plane and went home and I never heard from him again?
    He might tell his friends he’d always wondered what Katie would be like in bed.
    “How was it?” they’d ask.
    “Meh,” he’d answer.
    He interrupted my nosedive. “Can’t you stay here? Hopefully this won’t take long.”
    That was better.
    I really did need to re-beautify, though. Nick might not be ready for too much of the real Katie. I shook my head. “Could you call me when you’re done?”
    “Yes, and then will you come back? I don’t want to lose any more time with you than I have to.”
    My heart danced a crazy love dance. He wanted to spend all his time with me. This was really happening. He pulled