Read In Your Wildest Dreams for Free Online

hands and took a step back. ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, ‘tite fille. I’m tryin’ to be nice, no? You wanna come, follow me. You don’t, don’t.’ With that, he turned and walked on.
    ‘Hold up.’
    He stopped, looked back. ‘What?’
    She hesitated slightly. ‘Gotta get my stuff.’
    Fishing out half a roll of mints, he put one in his mouth, then shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned back against an old brick wall, watching the girl reach through a hole in the building’s foundation. As she got to her feet, a ragged backpack hoisted to one shoulder, he noticed rips in the knees of her jeans, dark skin peeking through.
    ‘Sure you ain’t after nothin’?’ Her eyes narrowed even as she moved toward him.
    ‘Hell yeah, I’m sure!’Peter, Paul and Mary—what the hell had he done to deserve this? He had things to be guilty for, but damn. He spoke firmly ‘You’re a little girl. And I’m not that kinda guy. Got it?’
    She pursed her lips, nodding shortly.
    Without another look in her direction, Jake started toward his place again. He heard her padding along behind him, but he didn’t slow his stride. He regretted this already. Damn it, he’d done it again, without even realizing. First the blonde, now this. When would he get it through his head that he couldn’t change anything, couldn’t save anybody?
    A block later, he led the girl through a wrought iron gate that had seen better days and into a neglected courtyard. A broken fountain jutted up amid chipped, jagged bricks and dilapidated concrete. Four sagging wooden staircases flanked each side of the yard, leading to second floor apartments. Jake strode to one where he knew somebody had discarded an old mattress. ‘Here ya go,’ he said, pointing.
    She nodded, spoke gently. ‘Thanks.’
    He tried not to hear the softness in her voice. ‘Don’t think this is the start of anything, though. You’re still on your own.’
    Her next quiet nod made him feel like an ogre. ‘Your neighbors gonna go callin’ the cops on me?’
    Was the girl blind? He shook his head. ‘Don’t have those kinda neighbors.’
    He didn’t look back as he crossed the worn brickwork to the stairs that led to his place. He was ready to call it a night. No more mister nice guy, he scolded himself. It never paid. Never.
    As he slid his key in the old lock, something raked up against his ankle, drawing his gaze downward. He found the scruffy little dog that had been hanging around the building for days, bugging whoever happened to be coming or going. ‘You again?’ The mutt was an aggravation.
    As he opened the door, he used one shoe to shove the dog away before stepping inside. Turning the lock brought a sense of relief, the isolation he cherished.
    Heading to his bedroom, he stripped down to underwear, walked to the bathroom, and splashed cool water on his face. He looked at himself in the mirror, studied his eyes, thought about the empty feeling low in his belly. He was used to putting on a show, being polite at Sophia’s, but it wasn’t real and it tired him. Miss Chardonnay had tired him tonight, too—even if something about that had been disturbingly real.
    It would suit him fine, he thought, if he never had to leave the run down apartment again. But then, if he didn’t have to work at all, if he truly didn’t have to go anywhere to make money, he’d head out to the old house on the bayou and just stay there. The idea made him look forward to his days off, when he could go home for a couple of nights of solace.
    Out there, there was no Miss Chardonnay worrying him with her pretense or tempting him with her innocent blue eyes. There was no homeless girl who thought he wanted to get into her pants. Out there was the one place he could truly forget, truly withdraw, even more than he already had.
    Returning to the bedroom, he turned back the covers and lay down. He closed his eyes and tried not to think or feel, tried to shut back down into that palce of least pain.
    But