Read Every Little Dream (Second Chances) for Free Online Page B

the past twenty-four hours. “Lately, I’ve been bored.” I bite my lip, then continue. “I thought finding a the right kind of guy who lives on the edge would bring some excitement to my life. So I dressed the part.”  
    He leans back, his tee stretching tight against his chest. His face softens. “So you don’t know who I am? Never heard of me?”
    “I only know that you shouldn’t be driving drunk and that you have a bad reputation. And that’s exactly what I need right now. Minus the driving drunk part.”
    “Now that I’ve never heard from a girl before. I doubt your parents would approve of your choices right now.”
    I set my jaw. “Well, they’re not here, are they?”
    “How old are you?” he shoots out.
    “Twenty-one.”
    “And the only reason you came home with me was because I seemed tough and a little bit dangerous?”
    I nod. Then I remember something he said when he kicked me out. I hadn’t understood it at the time. “Why else? What were you thinking?”
    He shakes his head, holding back his laughter. “I thought my dad had hired you to spy on me. I recognized the smell of honey on your skin and knew you weren’t really the girl you were pretending to be.”
    “Is that so wrong?” I ask.
    “No. I just didn’t know how else to take it.” He swallows down the rest of his coffee. “But you’re right. You need to stay away from me.”
    “Shouldn’t I be the one to decide that?”  
    He pulls bills from his pocket and lays them on the table. He’s about to walk out of my life. Forever.  
    “I’ll decide it for you.” Then he leaves.
    Chad
    I had to leave. When she stumbled over her words, blushing, her eyes on my lips…all I wanted to do was reach across the table and slam my mouth against hers. Bring that excitement to her life. Maybe she wasn’t a spy for my dad but I wasn’t good for her. She needs a man cut from the right kind of cloth, standard and clean, an upright guy who will do right by her, not one who’s in the middle of fighting daddy wars and losing.  
    The brisk ocean air is like a slap in the face, knocking images of her adoring eyes and curvy body out of my lust-filled mind. I made the right choice shooting her down. But damn. She’s hot. Just as beautiful when I thought she was a vision after the accident. I head to The Salty Dog before I’m tempted to go back to that tiny restaurant and pull her into a kiss that’ll make her drop her panties on the spot.  
    I have a little bit of time before the deadline to meet my dad. Still don’t know what my answer will be. A big part of me wants to say fuck off and walk out of his life. It’s almost like that’s what he wants. Get rid of me once and for all. But then there’s the stubborn part of me that doesn’t want to let him off that easy. As if he expects me to walk away from my inheritance because I’m afraid of a little work. But shit. Working for him would be hell. He’d make sure of it.
    Before I reach the bar, footsteps echo behind me. Katie might not’ve been spying on me yesterday, but I’m pretty sure Dad’s had me tailed for a while. Someone reporting back to him. Telling him of my sins, all the times I drink, stay out too late, or spend too much money.
    Dad controls the money with such a tight fist he became paranoid. He drove Mom out a long time ago, and a part of me has never forgiven him. With that same control and paranoia, he’s close to losing me too.
    Purposefully, I take my time in front of the shops. While fingering a T-shirt, casually, I glance back. Someone ducks into the crowd. He’s getting sloppy. Whoever it is.  
    At the last second, I duck into The Salty Dog. Hopefully this’ll lose the guy. I sit at the bar and order a shot. It’s early, but no one would judge if they knew my dad. If they did, they’d buy me the next one. And the one after that.
    Thirty minutes later, the shot glass still full, still sitting in the same place, I leave. I can’t go see Dad without a