Three Little Words by Lauren Hawkeye Read Free Book Online Page A

felt like just what I’d needed.
                “Don’t get me wrong—I’m no saint. But I believe in soul mates, fairy tales, happy ever after, all that shit.” His eyes narrowed, daring me to laugh and yet unashamed at the same time. “And I tell you, once I find the right one, I’ll do whatever it takes to make her mine.”
                If I’d been looking for a sign, this was it. I nodded, feeling my adrenaline surge.
                Whatever it took to convince her, however much groveling I had to do, I was going to show Adele that we were meant to be. I didn’t give a shit what anyone else thought.
                In fact, introducing her to my parents would be entertaining as hell.
                “Thanks, man.” I held out my hand to the other man, shaking when he accepted. “And I’m Mal, by the way.”
                “Dorian.” Reaching into the back pocket of his jeans, Dorian removed a worn, folded up piece of paper that turned out to be a promotional flier for his band. Three Little Words , the Aussie rockers with a cult following at American colleges.
                Slapping the paper into my hand, he nodded, then began to saunter back toward the door. I wasn’t into dudes, but I could see why chicks would dig him.
                Dude had swagger.
                Dorian paused just before he opened the door, turning to look over his shoulder at me.
                “The band’s e-mail is on that flier. Let me know how it goes with your sheila.” Grinning at me, he saluted and pulled open the glass door. “Case you can’t tell, I get off on the romance stuff.”
                Then he was gone, leaving me alone with the bouquet of roses and a newfound determination.
                Whatever it took. Adele was the woman for me.
                 
                ***
     
     With my heart in my throat, I knocked on Adele’s door. My fingers were numb from the cold—I’d walked the whole way across the massive campus, the roses wrapped in my suit jacket for protection, and I was fucking freezing.         
                The cold must have seeped into my brain as well, because I knocked two more times before I realized that the glittery purple frame Adele had attached to her door was gone. Looking down at my feet, I could just make out some of the bits of glitter, ground into the industrial weave of the cheap carpeting.
                Unease began to trickle through my gut. Something was wrong.
                Though I supposed she could have been out for the night—and my mind didn’t want to think about her spending the night anywhere but in my arms—I could tell that something was off. The space behind Adele’s door seemed empty, devoid of life.
                My stomach sinking like a boulder was nestled in it, I set the roses on the floor and marched down the hall to the door marked ‘Building Manager’. It was after midnight, but for the first time in my life I didn’t give a shit, pounding on the door until I heard someone fumbling with the deadbolt.
                The door swung open, and I found myself face to face with the biggest man I’d ever seen. Built like a tank, he was wearing an undershirt and boxer shorts, and when he sneered at me I caught the glint of a gold tooth in the upper row.
                “Tell me why the fuck I shouldn’t beat your ass for waking me up.” The man’s bald head shone in the neon light of the hallway. I looked him straight in the eye, prepared to be polite but not leaving until I had an answer.
                “Adele Cavanaugh. Apartment 4.” Fuck, this guy was big. I wasn’t exactly tiny, and I was fit from football drills, but he made me feel like Mickey Mouse. “She’s not answering her door. I’m worried about