Unmasked (Revealed #1) by Alice Raine Read Free Book Online Page B

fell off the roof. God, that made me jump!’ she giggled. ‘I better go. Sorry to cut you short, Allie, but if I don’t get that thing back on quickly, my roof will be leaking like a colander in minutes.’
    Disappointed at the briefness of our call I nodded in understanding. ‘No problem. Be careful, OK?’
    ‘I will, don’t worry, I’ve done it before, I just need to wrestle with the clips a bit.’
    ‘OK, and remember, it’s not long until April when we actually get to see each other!’ I reminded her, my words making my earlier smile spring back onto my face. April – the date when I was officially ending my career as a teacher to live off my savings (mostly some recent inheritance I’d received from a great-aunt) and make a go at writing full time. I wrote vampire fiction in my spare time, and had recently had a little interest from a publisher which prompted me into giving it a proper go. April was also when Cait and I had agreed to meet in LA to do a little travelling together. I literally couldn’t wait.
    ‘Actually, I might be home in the next few weeks if you’re around?’ she said, making my eyebrows nearly pop from the top of my head in excited surprise.
    ‘God, yes! Why?’
    ‘I’m going to be flying on to my next stop of America, so it seems logical to break up the journey in the UK for a week or so and see my family for a late Christmas. I’m not sure of a date yet, though; need to book my flights.’
    ‘OK, fantastic. Well, I’ll be here whenever,’ I murmured with a smile. ‘Let me know dates as soon as you can. Bye.’ And with that I heard Cait give a slightly distracted farewell as her attention turned to the job of fixing her roof.
    Hanging up, I popped my phone on the bedside table, feeling much better after my chat. I was so lucky to have a best friend like her, and I couldn’t believe I might actually get to see her soon. That overseas call from my mobile had probably cost a small fortune, but it had certainly raised my spirits, so in my mind, it was worth every penny.
    There was only so long that my stomach could survive on one banana and two oat bars, so later that evening I cautiously made my way downstairs in search of some dinner. Flinching at the squeak from the kitchen door as I pushed it open, I poked my head inside and warily checked for any sign of human life like some kind of pathetically unskilled spy. What I would have done if the house owner had been inside, I have no idea, because I would have looked like a complete and utter idiot sneaking around, but thankfully, I didn’t have to deal with that because the kitchen was blissfully empty.
    Stepping in, I relaxed my tense shoulders and looked around, once again appreciating just how gorgeous these fittings were. With the beautifully traditional features in the other rooms, and this stylish kitchen, it was almost my dream house, really. Not that I was dreaming about living here, almost the opposite, in fact – I’d spent the best part of the day imagining escaping so I could spend Christmas with my family. Although if I managed to sleep tonight and not dream about the owner, it would be a miracle, because he was a whole other story that I couldn’t seem to get out of my head for more than five minutes at a time.
    Sighing, I began my search for food when a note on the counter caught my eye. Walking over, I looked closer at the piece of A4 paper, which had a hastily drawn arrow on the top pointing towards the stove top and what appeared to be the chicken casserole I had made yesterday. Judging by the steam coming from the top, it had recently been re-heated. Grinning broadly and almost laughing out loud to myself, I read the note, written in large, edgy capital letters: ‘You made it, you may as well get to enjoy it too.’ I was compelled to trace his handwriting, and I reached out a hand using the tip of my finger to follow his words letter by letter.
    Snapping out of my trance I dropped my hand and looked at