Read If I Fall for Free Online Page A

he brings guests.
    “Who are you?” The sudden sound of his deep voice jars me out of my reverie. His tone skips over all pleasantries, and I grope for a reply.
    “I beg your pardon?”
    He moves forward, bending down until his nose is only inches away from mine. “Who—are —you?’”
    I shake my head. “I—I don’t—”
    He sighs, rubbing his light eyes before setting them back on me. A touch of humor glistens in the green of his irises. “Let’s start with your name, Mr.—” He pauses, then laughs. “—Or should I say, Miss…?”
    “Hamilton. Miss Elvira Hamilton,” I answer squeakily. It is only after the words have left my mouth that I realize I should have given him a false name. Mistake number one.
    “Elvira,” he muses, testing the sound of it on his own tongue. “Very well, Vi. My name is Adam Laurence.”
    I scowl, deciding I do not like this Mr. Laurence, no matter what he has done for me. He exudes the attitude of a pompous, rich heir; his use of my first name inexcusably rude.
    “Well, Mr. Laurence—”
    “Adam,” he corrects.
    My eyes narrow even further as I stand, returning to my full height, still inches shorter than him. “Mr. Laurence,” I say, putting as much malice and indignation in his name as possible, “thank you for going out of your way to help me. I am much obliged to you; however, I really must be going. Good day.” I move towards the door, but he gets there faster, leaning back against it to keep me from leaving.
    His booming laugh startles me and I stare at him, not amused.
    “You honestly believed I would let you leave? You’re a criminal!”
    “Am not!” I yell childishly. He gazes down at my overflowing pockets and raises his brows. “You do not know me, Mr. Laurence. Please do not pretend otherwise.”
    “Ah, but I will know you.”
    I throw my hands in the air, forgetting all manners. “This is positively absurd. I am leaving.”
    He ignores me, but grabs the wrist of my outstretched hand before I so much as touch the doorknob. I see violet peeking out from beneath his fingers and suck in a gulp of air through my teeth. “I will know you just as soon as you answer my questions.”
    I pause, wrenching my hand out of his grasp. Furtively, I pull my sleeve back down to cover the Mark.
    “You cannot possibly know someone by asking a few questions; not truly, anyhow.” I sigh. “If I answer your questions, will you allow me to leave?”
    Raising a hand to his chest, he crosses his heart with two smooth strokes of a finger. “I promise.”
    “Go on, then. Ask your questions,” I say, and quickly add, “but you only get three.”
    “Three questions! You are far more infuriating and stubborn than I would have initially believed, but three shall do.” He taps his index finger against his chin as he paces before the door. “All right, question number one.” He pauses, a devilish smirk sidling up his face. “Do you find me exceptionally attractive or only moderately so?” He winks and bares his teeth in a flashy grin. My mouth drops open and my violet eyes widen in shock. How can anyone be so exasperatingly audacious?
    He chuckles at my reaction, as if I and everyone else in the world exist purely for his own amusement. “Calm down, Vi. It was only a joke. The real question number one: Why is a pretty girl such as yourself disguised as a boy and resorting to minor criminal offenses like stealing baked goods?”
    My thoughts catch on the word pretty , but I instantly dismiss it. “That’s two questions and your initial question counts, as well.”
    “You didn’t even answer! Although, I suppose your eyes did say it all.” He grins smugly.
    I glare at his smile, wanting to swipe it from his face. “My eyes said nothing. You didn’t get an answer because you do not deserve an answer.”
    He smirks. “Very well. I still want the answers to the last two then.” He steps forward and his dark brown hair gleams in the light cast by a Tiffany lamp