The Hurricane by Nicole Hart Read Free Book Online Page A

gave her a grin.
    “Will you lie in my bed, just until I fall asleep?” she asked, and I heard Natalie’s quiet sigh.
    “Go get in bed, I’ll be there in just a minute.”
    “Ok, goodnight Ryker,” she said and turned her back, shuffling back to bed.
    “Night,” I said quietly.
    “I should get to her,” Nat said, apologetically. “She’s been going through this phase for a couple of months now.”
    “Ok,” I said, and ran my finger over her nose.
    “I’ll walk you out,” she said as she ran her hand down my arm and intertwined our fingers, leading me to the door.
    “Can I call you tomorrow?” I asked as I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her to me.
    “Of course” she said as she put her head against my chest.
    “Look at me,” I said quietly as I touched her chin, and guided her face in my direction.
    She stared up at me, her green eyes shining in the moonlight.
    “God, you’re beautiful,” I said, and pressed my lips to hers.
    “Goodnight,” I whispered when our lips fell apart.
    “Goodnight,” she repeated, our hands touching until we couldn’t reach each other as I started down the sidewalk, making my way to my bike. I rolled it out backwards, waiting until I got to the street to start it, not wanting to scare Brooklyn with the roar of the engine. I kept my eyes on Nat until I put the bike in gear. She hadn’t moved. She stood there, in all her perfection, watching my every move. I gave her a grin and a nod as I rode away.
    As I walked into my apartment, I felt the buzz of a text message. It was Cain. I had missed two more calls on the way home.
    “Fucking persistent, dude,” I said into the receiver when he answered immediately.
    “You know I’m not patient,” he growled.
    “No shit,” I said.
    “Johnson wants a rematch.”
    “Fuck that, Cain. I’m done with that.”
    “5k just to fight, 20 if you win. It’s a sure thing brother,” he said, and I could feel his grin. Money meant a whole lot more to my brother than it did to me.
    “I told you, I’m out.”
    “He’s talking a lot of shit, Ryker. You need to put this fucker in his place.”
    “Nope,” I said flatly as I kicked my boots off.
    “He said you fixed the last fight.”
    “What? I won that fucking fight fair and square.” He knew that would get my attention.
    “People are talking.”
    “Cain, I’m out of the game. I don’t want it anymore. Let them talk,” I said, convincing myself it didn’t matter.
    “Just think about it, Ryker. I’ll call you in a couple of days,” he said, and I heard the clicking sound of the phone disconnecting.
    Fuck that. I won that fight. I didn’t need to prove to that pussy that I could beat him.
    I was out of the game. I was out of the game. I was out of the game.
    I walked into my spare bedroom and threw my fist into the punching bag that hung from the ceiling.
     

 
    The Whole Truth
     
     

    The beach. It’s where I came to remember. It’s where I came to forget. It gave me peace. For so long I tried to deny my reasons for being drawn to this place. I mean, I grew up in Amarillo, not a beach in sight. But I always longed for this place. When I was young, it was about the fun. As I grew older, it was about the peace it gave me. The waves crashing; the wind blowing through your hair was amazing during a Texas summer. All of that was great, but it reminded me of him. It reminded me of the way he made me feel. Even though he hurt my teenage heart, he still gave me comfort. And he was back in my life, which was the crazy part of all of it.
    But part of me felt like I was stomping on the memory of Kyle. Because Ryker had always been in my heart, no matter how far I pushed it down and tried to deny it. It didn’t diminish the love I had for Kyle, but it did make me feel guilty. How could such a small encounter so long ago, make such a huge impact on someone?
    It also seemed like Kyle was fading from me. It was harder to remember his voice, his laugh, the way he