Read At Last for Free Online

on Susan’s skin. Not the standard shower--it was large enough to fit a dining room suite in, with room to spare--the shower nozzle was suspended so it poured like a waterfall straight down on top of her. The shower head was big enough it drenched her from head to toe immediately. She saw Kevin had unpacked her shower supplies. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash. But Susan had no interest in smelling like the woman she used to be. Not the woman that got stood up on her wedding day. Instead she used the tiny hotel bottles of soap and shampoo and conditioner, reveling in the exotic scent of tropical fruits and flowers.
    Luckily the conditioner made her hair marvelously easy to comb, so she didn’t have to suffer through the knots and tangles. When she was done she looked at her reflection in the mirror, again. This time she just looked tired and wet, except for around her eyes. She still looked like someone had punched her in both eyes.
    The bed had fresh linens on it when she walked out of the bathroom. Maid service there was great. She opened up her drawers to find all the clothes she’d packed for her honeymoon. She grabbed some shorts, underwear, and a tank top. She cringed when she reached for a bra.
    They were all the bras she’d bought for the honeymoon. All of them were lace or satin, and pushed her breasts up in the most seductive manner. To add insult to injury, right beside those was the extensive collection of lingerie she’d purchased just for this trip.
    She couldn’t handle lace, so she picked up one of the satin bras. She didn’t realize how much that bra accentuated her breasts until she had the tank top on, and her eyes almost popped out of her skull.
    “Cripes!”
    She pulled off the tank top and contemplated putting back on the three day soiled bra. But the thought was too repugnant, so she searched through the drawers until she found a very plain, not at all revealing, pink t-shirt. The color was a little too cheery for her current disposition, but it was that or walking around for the rest of the day looking like a waitress at Hooters.
    She walked out into the living room of the hotel suite and crashed on the couch, lying back into the soft cushions and staring heedlessly into the tropical oasis right outside her window. In a way, she wanted to go out there and feel the sun on her skin, to let the wind blow away all her cares, to let the ocean waters lap at her feet, and surrender to all the sensory delights this place had to offer.
    But she was afraid the tropical breeze would grab her up and whisk her off to someplace where her memories would swirl around her like a hurricane, that they would smother her if left to the movements of the wind.
    If she were honest with herself, she realized, she was afraid to leave the goddamn room. If she left the sanctuary it provided, or Kevin’s protective presence, what would happen when the memories came flooding back to her? She closed her eyes.
    A moment later, she felt Kevin flop down on the couch beside her. He smelled good, and the feel of his strong arm as it encircled her shoulders, the solid heat and comfort, it made her sigh just a little too wantonly.
    “So, black-eyed girl, what do you wanna do now?”
    Susan shot him what she hoped was a scathing look, and angled away from him on the couch. “That’s not funny.”
    Kevin leaned back into the couch, his smile smug. “Kinda is. I mean, looks like you took up boxing while you were in your post-wedding coma.”
    Susan lunged for him, but he was off the couch and jogging across the room before she laid a finger on him.
    “Not fair!” she complained. “When did you get all agile?”
    “Um...er...”
    “Tough question?” Susan straightened up and locked Kevin in her sights.
    He stood there for about thirty seconds looking absolutely miserable. He turned and walked toward the kitchen. “About the time you met Mark.”
    His voice was fading as he walked away, so Susan stood and followed him to the