Read All I Want is You (Hearts on Fire Book 1) for Free Online Page B

in her core.  Jake has suddenly become mysterious, exciting, dangerous.   This feels so wrong.   But somehow, she’s turned on.      
    She realizes her mistake, however, and finds a towel, wipes off the barrel and handle and puts it back in the bag.  She shakes her head and turns back toward the bedroom, a tight smile breaking across her lips.  
    She finds her purse, clasps her necklace back on, inspects the pendant for a moment, then shoves it into the hoodie, down onto her chest.
    She returns to the note, remembers the other item.  Back in the bag, she finds the key.  Her apartment!
    The reminder on her phone buzzes.
    Shit, s he silences it.  She’s late for her appointment.  
    She grabs the bag, throws the strap over her shoulder, walks to the front door and steps out into the hallway, but doesn’t let go.  She turns and looks back, wondering if she's making a good decision.  
    She could leave the bag behind and just walk away.  She would probably be fine.  But then again, where would she go?  Where would she spend the night?  How would she get her notebook?  
    Her story is due tomorrow.  She can't mess that up.  It's the only thing she has.  
    With her apartment in mind, she lets go of her hold on the door.  It begins to close as she takes a step away, but she suddenly second guesses herself and turns back around.   He’s not worth this risk.  
    She lunges for the door, but is too late.  She pushes on it, but it’s latched.  She tries the handle, but it’s locked.   Fuck.  Double fuck.   There’s no turning back now.
    She looks at her apartment door, but keeps walking, checking the time on her phone and cursing herself for her inability to get her act together.  
    No one will know what’s in the bag, she convinces herself.   
    On the sidewalk, she reconsiders.  She surveys the looks, the eyes, of everyone who walks by to see if they’re looking at her, and more importantly, if they see the bag hanging by her hip.  The weight of the gun bounces against her, then away as she walks.   She is miles from comfortable.
    And then she spots them.  
    Less than two blocks from her apartment building, two cops walk down the street, their eyes fixed directly upon her.
     
    ***
     
    A thick sweat covers her forehead.  She hasn’t relaxed since she first noticed them.   “I told you I don’t know a Mr. Knox,” Ellie says for the third time, her frustration expressed through her rapid breaths.  Her index finger and thumb press against her temples.  A severe case of déjà vu overwhelms her. 
    “Then what were you doing in his apartment last night?” the tall dark-haired officer asks.
    The other officer tilts his chin up and raises his brows.  “You’re going to be much better off cooperating with us.”
    “Maybe a trip down to the station will jog her memory,” the tall one says.
    “I’m sorry, I just don’t know who you’re talking about.  That’s my apartment building,” Ellie points.  “That’s… where I live.”
    The tall officer inspects Ellie’s face.  He rubs his chin, unsatisfied with her response.
    The other officer is more forgiving.  “Just do yourself a favor and stay away from him,” he says as he reaches into the front pocket of his shirt.  “Give us a call if anything comes up that you want to talk about.”  He hands her his card and turns toward his partner.  He tugs at his arm as he begins to walk away, but the tall officer doesn’t budge.  
    Instead, he leans closer to Ellie.  So close, that the smell of cheap burnt coffee on his breath paralyzes her with a strange and discomforting sense that this isn’t the first time she’s been interrogated by a police officer, though there’s no specific incident she can remember.
    “Just watch yourself,” the tall officer says through clenched teeth.  “We will be too. ”  

Chapter 8
     
    In a well-appointed office, a man with thin-rimmed glasses stands looking out his window.   He