Up All Night Long: From Lust to Love (Romance Anthology) by Ali Parker Read Free Book Online Page A

long black hair.
    "You snooze? You're the one who took a freaking nap in the U-Haul. I was making sure we weren't going to die on the way here!"
    Kari slipped into the shower and let the pelting of the hot water drown out the sound of Lisa grumbling against the locked door. She washed quickly and slipped out, realizing there were no towels left in the bathroom.
    "Damn..." she muttered and unlocked the door, sticking her head out. "Hey... where are all the towels?"
    Lisa walked by the bathroom with three in her hand. "Looking for these?"
    Kari smirked and reached for one, her hair dripping all over the carpet in Lisa's bedroom. "Yes. Give me one, you hooker."
    "Oh, hell no." Lisa smiled and moved out into the hall. "You wanted to get to the shower first, so you drip dry. I needed to restock the towels, but nooooo..."
    "Lisa! Give me a towel so we can go eat and drink ourselves numb."
    Lisa stopped and looked over her shoulder. "Set me up with Marc."
    "What? No. You'll break his heart."
    "I'm not interested in his heart." She wagged the towel around. "Set me up with him."
    Kari sighed. "Give me the damn towel and I'll see what I can do."
    Lisa chucked the towel and Kari caught it, slamming the door and muttering to herself, "Shouldn't be that hard, seeing that you guys have already got it on ten times together in your heads."
    "Ten hundred!" Lisa called after her, Kari gagging into the cotton-fresh towel.
    She dried off quickly and helped herself to some of Lisa's jeans and a blue long-sleeved shirt. After brushing her hair, she pulled it back into a ponytail and walked down the stairs to find her friends dressed and ready to go.
    "Did you guys not need a shower?" Kari walked to the fridge, reaching in to pull out a bottle of water.
    "Heck no. Quick wipe-down and some dry shampoo and we're done." Lisa twirled around, her fitted blue sweater bringing out the depth of color in her copper hair.
    Sicily wiped her hands on a small dishrag and shrugged. "Not like we're on the hunt for a man tonight. No need to start something you can't finish."
    "Speak for yourself," Lisa chided before pulling the towel from Sicily's hands and popping her with it. "Is Marc coming with us tonight?"
    Kari took a long drink of the cold water, wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, and shook her head. "No, he won't be here until after midnight. Just leave him a key under the mat."
    "I'll wait up for him." Lisa smirked and tossed the towel onto the kitchen table.
    "What's your sudden hang-up with Kari's brother? You know he's, like, ten years younger than us." Sicily walked toward the door, looking over her shoulder. "Let's go."
    "He's four years younger than us and he's adorable. That's all..."
    Kari laughed and walked languidly behind her friends, weariness weighing heavy on her. "You've never been one to go for 'adorable'."
    "Things change. People change. We're about to move to another state. Change is in the air." Lisa shrugged as she filed out behind Sicily toward the car.
    "I'm wondering if you could've fit the word 'change' in that sentence once more." Sicily laughed and tossed her keys in the air. Lisa caught them and grumbled about driving.
    Kari got in the back and leaned her head against the window, her eyes growing heavier by the minute. What would Maine be like? Would the paper offer her a position? Would she meet someone that might steal her heart?
    She hated like hell to acknowledge the loneliness and hurt that still tugged at her emotions, but four years with someone wasn't easily forgotten.
    Was Frank thinking of her too?

Chapter 6
     
    Kari slipped in and out of sleep as they drove to the restaurant, the homely pub a favorite of most New Yorkers. It was nestled into one of the suburban strip centers, the owner a little old Asian couple who made the best cheeseburgers known to man. Kari smiled at the thought of the two of them. Their story was a perfect analogy to the American ideal that you could do anything you wanted - opinions be