Liv's Journey by Patricia Green Read Free Book Online Page B

and Milan for being so outré. The publicity would be huge, but all she wanted was for the whole thing to go away. It would have to be South America, she thought. She liked Santiago well enough, so that might be a possibility.
    How long would she have to be away? Would a month be long enough? Any longer and she'd start to erode her "star" status.
    Tears pricked the back of her eyelids and she sniffed resolutely. She would not cry again.
    The stream got louder as she approached, and then the path opened up and the water came into view. It was a small stream, just big enough to run over rounded rocks vigorously. A frog jumped away from her as she stepped up to the water.
    "You look like you lost your best friend."
    She didn't look behind her; she recognized the voice—Trey. "I have lost her. Her name was Liv Aune."
    "You haven't lost yourself, darlin'. It's just a bump in the road. It'll pass."
    She turned toward him, angry and ready to bite his head off, but he stood there, so tall and handsome, his hair tousled by the breeze, his cotton t-shirt molded to his broad chest and shoulders. All her anger fled on the wind and she was empty.
    "What are you doing here, Trey?"
    "Lookin' for you."
    She faced the stream again. "Here I am."
    "Yeah. Nothin's in the paper today. I drove to Sonora to look at all the rags. Maybe the picture came out badly. It was dark, and you were face-down."
    A little hope brightened her dismal mood. "Maybe."
    "Anyway, it'll work out." He came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, resting his chin on the top of her head. "I called my commandin' officer this mornin' and gave him a heads-up."
    "Was he mad at you?"
    "He didn't like it much, but I don't think he's goin' to reprimand me unless it becomes necessary for public relations. That’s a good thing; a public reprimand would pretty much end my chances at promotion or a full military career."
    "PR is everywhere."
    "Mm-hmm." He turned her around until they faced each other. "Let me take your mind off it for a night, Liv. Come to the BDSM Boot Camp openin’ party with me. There will be security there, so nothin’ bad can happen to you."
    "Who secures the party-goers, Trey? All of those people could make money on a story sold to the papers."
    "They'd be exposin’ themselves right along with you. And, let me assure you, most of those folks would have as much to lose as we do. Some a lot more."
    She stopped staring at his chest and looked up into his face. Sincerity made his eyes warm. Things had gone horribly wrong, but she'd learned something about herself, and about Trey, too. She was beginning to trust him, she realized.
    "I don't have anything to wear."
    He laughed softly. "Woman words, if I ever heard 'em. How 'bout you wear one of my dress shirts and some really high heels?"
    That might look cute. "It's a kind of costume party?"
    "Many of the women will be wearin’ fetish wear. A shirt and heels combo will fit in fine."
    "Okay. Can I borrow a tie, too?"
    His mouth turned up at the corners. "I'll dig one up for you." He ran his finger along her jaw. "No underwear, darlin'."
    Liv's face got hot. On the runway, that was the way it went. Nothing to spoil the lines of the garments. But, since she'd changed, she felt the need to cover up all the sexy parts. "I don't know…"
    Trey smoothed the frown between her brows and she relaxed her face. His voice was gentle but brooked no disagreement. "That's an order."
    "Like you ordered me to stay away from my vibrator?"
    "Yeah, like that kind of order."
    "I did it."
    "I’d hoped you'd mind and am pleased to hear you did." He sounded so confident. "I have faith in you, li'l girl."
    She bit her lip and Trey's hands moved into her hair. "Your girl?"
    "We’re headin’ that way," he told her. "We'll see tonight."
    He lowered his head to kiss her, and she rose on tiptoes to meet him halfway. His hands were insistent in her hair, tilting her head to slant their lips together. It was not a gentle kiss,