Run With Me (Fight For You Book 1) by J.C. Evans Read Free Book Online Page B

every inch of Sam’s skin, telling her with every caress how much she means to me, how much I love her, and how glad I am she’s still here with me. By the time I finally slide inside her, I feel like I’m about to cry and tears are slipping quietly down Sam’s cheeks.
    It’s that perfect, so good it hurts, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.
    Realizing I’m going to lose Sam someday twists my gut in knots, but it also makes me even more aware of how precious and irreplaceable she is. I’m not going to waste a moment of the time we have together, however long that might be. I’m going to love her even more than I did before, and on the day death eventually catches up with one of us, I won’t have any regrets, only wishes.
    Even if we live to be a hundred, I will still wish for more time.
    And more nights like these.

Chapter Seven
    Present Day
    Danny
    “There is no instinct
    like that of the heart.”
    -Lord Byron
    I don’t want to believe this trip is cursed, but the universe is making some pretty compelling arguments.
    First, Sam and I both have our phones stolen. Then the rental car ends up being twice the price Sam was quoted online, due to a bunch of bullshit fees. And when we finally get to our hotel, after getting lost in downtown Auckland for nearly an hour, we discover our reservation was for the night before.
    Sam forgot to add on the extra day we lost while we were flying through a dozen time zones, but her card has already been charged, the hotel won’t refund the money, and the excessively unhelpful man behind the counter seems to enjoy assuring us that The DePaul has no rooms available for tonight.
    We head out the door onto the sidewalks of downtown Auckland and for the rest of the afternoon we wander from hotel to hotel, but it’s fashion week and all the hotels are booked. Finally, just as the winter sun is sliding behind the rooftops around five o’clock and the cool air is acquiring a bite, we find a studio with a loft bed at a boutique hotel near the bay.
    Sam plunks down her card just as the woman behind the desk says the charge will be five hundred dollars, plus tax.
    I snatch Sam’s Visa back fast enough to give the clerk whiplash.
    “Thanks, but that’s way over our budget.” I shoot the brunette my most winning smile, the same smile I use to put nervous wives at ease before I take their husbands on camping expeditions where they’ll sleep suspended from ropes anchoring them to the sheer face of a mountain. “Do you have a student discount?”
    The woman’s forehead wrinkles sympathetically as she shakes her head. “No, unfortunately, we don’t. On a normal night, I might be able to knock a bit off since you’re renting late in the day, but with it being fashion week…”
    “I understand,” I say, smile still in place, grateful that she seems more helpful than the douche who practically kicked us out of the first hotel. “Would you know if there are any youth hostels in the area? Our phones were stolen so we haven’t been able to do an internet search. We just need a place where we can get a bed for the night, even if we can’t find a room.”
    The clerk nods. “There’s a YHA about ten minutes from here. Would you want me to call them for you and see if they have beds available?”
    “That would be amazing,” Sam pipes up from beside me. “Really. We would appreciate it so much.”
    “Of course,” the clerk says as she backs away. “Just let me pop into the office.”
    Sam sags against the desk as the brunette disappears around the corner. “I’m so sorry, Danny.”
    “Don’t be sorry.” I put my arm around her shoulders and give her a cheer up squeeze. “We’ll find somewhere to sleep, and wake up tomorrow to a new day.”
    Sam sighs. “I thought I had everything planned. I can’t believe I forgot about the time change.”
    “Everyone makes mistakes.”
    She looks up at me, but I can’t tell if I’ve made her feel any better. She’s so exhausted