Rebel on the Run by Jayne Rylon Read Free Book Online Page A

Stupidly, she’d even dreamed that someday they might have…more. Once he’d gotten over his foolish sense of nobility, given their age difference. What was a few years’ gap once they were no longer teenagers?
    She’d never had the chance to find out.
    Then again, how could she blame him for doing the same thing she had by fleeing? Especially if, in some convoluted way, he’d thought his absence would insulate her from her dad’s scheming.
    It had, for a while.
    Hating Bryce became impossible when she thought with her head, instead of her heart. Darn it.
    Every part of her ached. At least she could do something about the muscles that had knotted with tension as she listened to the bitter truths Bryce spewed to his friends and to her. She trailed her fingers through the steamy water filling the plastic tub.
    A knock on the door startled her.
    “Kaelyn?” one of the Hot Rods’ women called to her.
    “Yes?” She clutched the borrowed robe around her, amazed by how soft it was despite the plain-ish synthetic material.
    “Feel free to raid Nola’s stash of bath bombs and goop in the baskets on the surround,” Sally offered, then begrudgingly admitted, “as much as I hate to say it, they do feel nice and help a girl relax.”
    “Ah, thank you.” Kae didn’t think they’d understand what her usual spa regime entailed. With no plans to enlighten them about the benefits of organic Japanese seaweed, she surrendered the terrycloth hugging her and dipped her toe in the bath. When had she become such a snob?
    Her father had counted on that weakness to keep her captive.
    Regardless of the blows she’d been dealt in the past several hours, her determination had not shaken. She would build her own life. One she could maintain and enjoy. The finer things hadn’t guaranteed her happiness.
    A sigh escaped her lips as warm water flowed around her, surrounding her in heat that penetrated her weary bones. For a while, she rested her head on the molded off-white tub and allowed her mind to drift, blissfully blank.
    When the temperature dropped a bit, she drained some water, then refilled it with a fresh batch. Tendrils of steam curled around her.
    “Doing okay in there?” Nola this time.
    Kaelyn wondered if none of them took marathon soaking sessions. Probably they had to work for a living. If the size of the operation below was any indication, they had enough jobs to keep them busy for a century. Screw it. She didn’t feel like hurrying. Or facing Bryce again.
    “Great,” she called softly. Maybe if she kept saying it, it would be true.
    “Let me know if you need anything.” The other woman chuckled. “I don’t mind bringing you a glass of wine. Or, you know, a whole bottle. Whatever it takes.”
    “Thank you.” Kaelyn giggled for the first time since she’d realized her father had tried to arrange her marriage in some medieval feudal proposition that would bind her and his backers permanently. “I think I’ll try one of these giant bath-salt things.”
    “Go ahead.” Nola sounded like she might be smiling. “Take your time.”
    Kaelyn poked around in the brightly colored blobs of baking soda and fruity-smelling oil. She sniffed one. Mmm, mango. Then she nudged a couple aside to dig for a flash of silver that caught her eye. A star. It reminded her of the nights she and Bryce had snuck outside to their tree house. Okay, more like a tree castle, to stare at the twinkling lights high above their heads.
    She recalled a night when she’d forgotten her sweater. After curling up against the furnace of his chest while they sat and talked for hours, she’d been careful never to bring a jacket again. The weight of his arm around her shoulders—casual and friendly—had been a highlight of those evenings. He’d felt like her rock when she’d rested her head against him. For a moment, when he’d kissed her, she’d wanted to believe he could be that support again.
    Better yet, maybe she could be his too this