Love Conquers All by E. L. Todd Read Free Book Online Page B

he snapped. “Let’s just forget about it.”
    My heart sunk. “What…?”
    “If you want to have your ex over all the time, then you obviously aren’t ready for a real commitment.”
    My heart fell to my stomach. Tears coated my eyes. “I didn’t do anything wrong…”
    “You should have called me.”
    “Well, I didn’t. Too much was going on.”
    He didn’t look at me.
    I couldn’t believe this was happening. He took back his invitation for me to live with him—just like that. He changed his mind. If he could change his mind so quickly about that, how did I know he wouldn’t change his mind about me with a snap of a finger? My breathing was heavy and I tried to control it. “I think you should go.”
    “Yeah, I think that would be best.” He walked out and slammed the door.
    As soon as I heard the silence, I burst into tears and sobbed my heart out.

5
    Cortland
    When I saw her enter the restaurant, I knew it was she. Her blonde hair reached her shoulders and it framed her face. Blue eyes shined in the dimly lit restaurant. The tight black dress she wore highlighted large breasts, a curved hourglass figure, and long legs. She was definitely attractive.
    I stood up when she approached the table. “I’m Cortland. It’s nice to meet you.” I extended my hand to shake hers.
    She eyed me for a moment, her eyes lingering on my chest and height. Then she drilled into my face, observing every curve and line. When she smiled, I knew she liked what she saw. “Kacey.” She shook my hand.
    I pulled out her chair and helped her sit down.
    She gave me a look of approval. “This is already off to a good start.”
    I sat across from her and immediately felt nervous. I couldn’t believe I was actually on a date with a girl. It felt wrong. I kept thinking about Monnique, probably sitting at home eating dinner by herself. I’d rather be there than here. But I tried not to think about it. “Thank you for meeting me,” I said politely.
    “Wow. It’s pretty and it’s polite.” She gave me a wide smirk. “Flynn knows the right men.”
    I blushed slightly at her words. I knew I should return the compliment. “I like your hair.” God, I sounded so lame.
    She smiled. “Thanks. So, what do you do for a living?”
    “I’m the IT director at Linguistics Software.”
    She nodded. “Impressive. You like it?”
    I nodded. “I understand computers better than people.”
    She laughed lightly. “You’re a geek. That’s cute.”
    I shrugged. “I don’t know about that second part but I’ll take the compliment anyway.”
    “And humble.” She eyed me for a moment. “I think I hit the jackpot.”
    I blushed again. “What do you do?”
    “I’m an accountant. I work for a small business in Soho.”
    “Cool. Where did you go to school?”
    “A small school in New Hampshire. How about you?”
    I knew she would be impressed with my resume. “Harvard.”
    Her eyes widened. “Wow. How the hell are you single?”
    My face was even redder than it was before. “I…I don’t know.” I had no idea how to answer that.
    “Luck is on my side tonight.” She opened her menu and browsed the selections. “Everything looks good.”
    I eyed mine but I wasn’t hungry. I was sick, actually. The guilt weighed on me. “I’m getting the chicken scampi.”
    “Hmm….excellent choice. But I think I’m getting the chicken pasta.”
    “Excellent choice.”
    She put her menu down then gave me her full stare. She had an oval face with high cheekbones. Her lips were full and she didn’t wear too much makeup. I liked that. “What do you do for fun, Cortland?”
    “I like sports, playing basketball with my friends, going to the movies, just normal and boring things.”
    “I don’t think you’re boring.” She looked at me like I was a painting.
    “What do you do?”
    “I love yoga. I personally hate sweating, so that minimizes it. I love shoes. If you saw my closet you would see it’s an obsession. My girlfriends are