Masked Encounters (Intoxicating Passion #1) by Felicia Tatum Read Free Book Online Page A

sad. Leela captured her bottom
lip in her teeth, clenching her hands together before she hooked them behind
her back. She knew she’d gone too far.
    I didn’t want her pity, nor did I need it .. “I don’t want to talk about him,” my exasperation coming
through more clearly than I intended. Catching myself and knowing her concern waswell -meant, I sighed crossing my arms. “I don’t need a
man to be happy. You don’t have to keep setting me up. I’ll be fine. Now,
please, can we be done? I’m going to study.” For the second time in less than
an hour, I didn’t wait for an answer. Turning, I hurried to my bedroom,
ignoring her calling my name. My misery didn’t like company
    Dating had never been kind to me, but
recently, my disastrous love life was on a completely different level of crazy.
Abusive relationships, level five stalkers, and desperate types who proposed after
two dates. I refused to deal with it anymore, not even wanting to bother with
romance because of all the torment which inevitably resulted. At nineteen years
old, I knew it was not normal to have this much drama.
    I had friends who were married, some with
children already. I wasn’t ready for either of those responsibilities, but…why
couldn’t I find a decent guy? What was so wrong with me that I attracted all
the whacky ones?
    I flopped on my oversized bed, sinking deep
into cotton covers and feathery pillows. Darkness settled in around me, the
only light a half-moon peeking through the curtains. Looking guiltily at my
desk, strewn with papers for my speech assignment, I groaned inwardly. Turning
to my side, I found Elle under the abundance of covers. Worn oversized ears,
trunk now bent at an awkward angle, she had been a source of comfort since I
was a little girl. Snuggling her to my chest, I drew my knees to my stomach. My
eyelids fluttered against the pillow before I fell into a restless sleep.
    ###
    “ Korah …. Korah ….” a sing-song voice called.
    The world shook as I bounced around. Complete
dark surrounded me, the only sound a voice calling me by name. I slowly came to
consciousness. Peeling one eye open, I saw Leela’s ginormous face smiling down on me. “Good grief,” I groaned, burying my head
under the pillow, tucking Elle deep enough to avoid detection.
    “Wake up, Korah ! I
need to tell you some exciting news,” she exclaimed. The bed continued to move
under her weight as she thrashed about, jostling me to and fro.
    “Go away,” I mumbled. The nightmares continued
to haunt me, causing sleepless nights and the unattractive dark circles under
my brown eyes. Thank goodness for make-up.
    “ Korah , we need to
go shopping,” she lured, teasing me with one of my favorite past-times.
    I lifted the pillow cautiously exposing the
side of my face. Peering at her with one squinted eye, I raised a brow and
clarified, “Shopping?”
    She nodded eagerly, finally standing and
relieving me of her weight .“ Yep. We have lots to
get.”
    I eyed her suspiciously. “Such as…?” Leela despised shopping with me. I took too long, or I tried on
everything, or some other nonsense. She seemed miserable every time we went
together. Which meant she was up to something. Probably something I wouldn’t like.
    “A Halloween costume,” she shrugged in
feigned nonchalance before escaping out my door.
    And there it was. I propped on my elbows, staring
at the spot where she had been standing. There was only one reason Leela would want me to have a Halloween costume and that
would be for a party. I’m no math major, but: Me + Parties = Disaster. I
propelled my body upward, still drowsy from sleep. Rubbing the crust from my
eyes, I turned, putting reluctant feet on the floor. Finally, I staggered
upright and shuffled into the common room. “Lee?”
    “Yes, sleepyhead?” she sounded way too
chipper, her eyes twinkling in delight as she glanced up from her books strewn
over the coffee table.
    “You have a party for us, don’t you?”