The One and Only by Sophie McKenzie Read Free Book Online Page A

and starting the engine. My eyes were wide open, soaking in Eve’s blissed-out face as she kissed me.
    She looked up at me, arching her eyebrows. ‘Your heart’s beating fast,’ she whispered.
    ‘Oh yeah?’ I said quietly. ‘My hands are cold, too.’
    I reached under her jumper and pressed my palms against her waist, feeling her flinch from the cold. I pressed harder, grinning, not letting her wriggle away. She smiled at me, moving closer, stroking my face with her fingers.
    I wanted her so badly, I was almost paralysed with it. As my hands warmed up, I slid them round her back, running them up and down her bare skin. My hands were as hot as the rest of me now, but I could still feel her shivering under my fingers.
    How horny was that?
    ‘Now whose heart’s beating fast?’ I murmured.
    I brought my hands round to her front. She stared up at me, her breathing all ragged.
    So I ripped off her clothes and . . .
    Only joking. Unfortunately. What actually happened was that she glanced over at Alejandro in the front seat and pushed my hands away.
    I nodded, reluctantly, to show I understood. Eve had never liked touching and stuff in front of other people.
    OK. I can wait. I think.
    I put my arm round her shoulders.
    ‘Tell me what happened,’ I said. ‘Tell me everything.’
    Eve explained quickly how the convent school operated. It sounded like something out of the nineteenth century – all old-fashioned customs and strict discipline.
    ‘At first all I thought about was running away, getting back to you.’ Eve snuggled right up against me and laid her head on my chest. ‘It’s so awful there, Luke. I mean, some of the nuns are OK and the other girls are all right – but they’re all Spanish. A few speak quite good English, but there isn’t anyone I can talk to properly.’
    ‘So did you try?’ I said. ‘Running away, I mean?’
    Eve nodded. ‘But the convent was in the middle of nowhere. I had no idea where I was, just that it was miles from the nearest town. The nuns thought the internet was the work of El Diablo – the devil – so, no email.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘I mean, for God’s sake. There was, like, one phone, practically guarded with dogs. And the post got taken out once a week – I tried to write to you, but my dad left instructions they were to check all my mail. It was like being in a prison camp.’
    I kissed her head, taking in a long, deep breath of her apple-smelling hair. Outside the car, roads I didn’t recognise were flashing by.
    ‘Tell him about Christmas,’Alejandro said.
    ‘OK.’ Eve twisted her soft, slender fingers through mine.
    ‘After I’d been there, kicking against it all, for about two months – begging Mum to get me out – Dad started talking about me staying the whole year and I realised two things. If I was going to get away I’d have to make it happen myself. And I had to start acting like I was changing, so Dad would start trusting me a bit and let me come out of the school for Christmas. So I made that call to my mum – which he was listening to – saying I wanted you to forget all about me.’ She reached up and grazed my ear. ‘Which I didn’t mean at all,’ she whispered, her voice all low and raspy. ‘I missed you so much. I was so worried you’d just forget all about me.’
    I squeezed her arm, massively turned on by her breath against my ear. ‘No chance,’ I murmured, kissing my way across her cheek.
    ‘ Mierda ! Guys!’ Alejandro glanced over his shoulder. ‘Christmas. Eva. Por dios .’
    Eve sat back, smiling. ‘OK. Christmas. At first I thought Dad was going to leave me in the convent over the holidays. So I worked on him and worked on him. And in the end he agreed to let me come back to the hotel for a few days. But even there he made it really hard for me to talk to anyone or make calls, and I know he had that slag he’s sleeping with now – the head receptionist, remember? – he had her make sure all the staff were spying