Ricochet by Lore Ree Read Free Book Online Page A

conceding to the GPS. The robotic drone of the navigation system was all we heard most of the way to Noelle’s loft.
    Last night had ended great, but she’d been acting weird all morning. Then again, maybe I was being weird; I was so out of practice with this sort of thing and had no idea what to say. “Thanks for all the great fucking” didn’t seem right .
    Noelle thought differently. “Thank you for last night,” she said in a rush and had the passenger door halfway open before I pulled to a complete stop. “And breakfast this morning,” she added as she climbed out. “It was fun.” She was inside her b uilding before I could respond.

    Dead on my feet, I staggered through my door and stopped short when I saw the mountain snoring on my couch.
    “Hey.” I stomped over and shook its shoulder. “Hey! Get the fuck up.”
    “What! What?” The guy jumped up, and I recognized Corey, the DJ from the club the night before. “Oh. Hey, Miles. ’Sup, man?”
    “’ Sup ?” I narrowed my eyes. “What the fuck are you doing on my couch?”
    “Warren let me in.”
    “Uh huh? And where is he?”
    “His apartment.”
    Without another word to Corey, I stomped down the hall to Warren’s.
    “Warren!” I banged on the door, not giving a shit about how much noise I made. “Open the fucking door.”
    He answered a few minutes later with a sheet wrapped low around his waist. Warren scowled and glared when he saw me. “Where’s the fucking fire?”
    “What’s your friend doing on my couch?”
    “Corey? He’s still here?”
    I don’t know why he seemed so confused. “Clearly.”
    “Give me a second.” He shut the door in my face, but I knew he wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon and made my way back to my place. Inside, the snoring serenade was still on. I glared at the back of Corey’s head, too tired to make a bigger deal out of him being in my apartment than I already had. So, I sent him a silent threat that his snoring better not fuck up my sleep or he would get an elbow to the back of the head.
    Once in the quiet of my room, I peeled off my clothes and slid under the cool covers. I feel asleep with a smile on my face and thoughts of the night I had with Noelle in my head.
     

-SEVEN-
     
    A few hours later, I woke up feeling fully rested and fucking starving.
    My steps faltered as I headed into the kitchen. The mountain was still on my couch.
    “My dude!” I shouted and then hung my head. “What are you doing here?”
    He and Warren didn’t get it. Yeah, Corey was cool. He was still a stranger to me, though, which meant I wasn’t OK with how Warren had let him into my place without coming to me about it first.
    The only reason I hadn’t flipped my shit was because, in the end, I did trust Warren. He wouldn’t let just any-old-body in my house. But still …
    Corey jumped up, his face pinched in confusion.
    “Yeah, you’re at my place,” I said in a monotone voice.
    “What time is it?”
    I didn’t bother answering him. Instead, I went on the hunt for something to eat. I fished through the fridge and grimaced. I couldn’t decipher which takeout containers were the newest. It was definitely time to hit the store, but not today.
    I walked into the living room and waved a takeout menu. “I’m ordering. You want something?” It didn’t matter how I felt about him randomly camping out at my place, I wasn’t about to just eat in front of him.
    We decided on pizza and extra wings, knowing it was only a matter of time before Warren made his way over. For as small that motherfucker was, he could outeat anyone.
    “Thanks for letting me crash here.”
    I nodded. I didn’t let him do anything, but it was decent of him to say. “So, uh, not that it matters, but how did you end up on my couch?”
    He settled onto the couch and paused as though he weren’t sure how to word what he was about to say. Or maybe he didn’t want to explain what had happened.
    “I had to bring Warren home and didn’t