Read Meet Me in Manhattan (True Vows) for Free Online Page A

not. I'm not a ghost." But he liked having his
hand against her smooth, soft skin, with her hair spilling like rain
over his fingers.
    "Are you telling her about the ghosts?" Kate asked.
    He hadn't even realized she had returned to the sofa. He withdrew his hand from Erika's neck and smiled up at his girlfriend.
"She doesn't believe they exist," he told Kate. "Tell her I'm not
making this up."
    Kate eyed Erika and grinned. "He's not making this up," she
recited, sounding not the least bit convincing. Then she extended
her hand, wrapped her fingers around his wrist and tugged.
"Matt thinks one of his tires is flat. He wants you to look at it."
    Ted allowed himself to be hauled to his feet. He shot Erika a
long-suffering look. "Not only can I grout a bathroom, but I can
also change a tire," he said. "I'm the most handy guy in this
room.
    "And you can ward off ghosts, too," Erika said, then exchanged
an amused look with Kate. "What a guy. You'd better hang onto
him."
    "'Yeah," Kate said. "Just in case I ever have a flat, or a ghost."

    "Or a bathtub in need of grouting," Ted reminded them both
before following Kate through the room to the back door, away
from Erika.
    Just as well, he thought as he stepped outside and the cold
evening air slapped his face. He shouldn't be coming on to Erika
when he was at a party with Kate. He shouldn't be caressing the
nape of Erika's neck when he was sleeping with Kate. He shouldn't
be thinking the things he always thought when Erika was in the
vicinity.
    Especially since she clearly had no interest in him. If she did,
she wouldn't be advising Kate to hang onto him.
    What was that song he sometimes heard when his parents had
the radio tuned to oldies rock? If you can't be with the one you
love, love the one you're with.
    He supposed he could do that, he thought as he wove his fingers through Kate's and paused by the side of the garage to kiss
her. But the lyrics that remained with him were from the song
they'd been listening to in the rec room.
    I'm too sexy for my love ...
    He wouldn't tell Kate she was too sexy, because she wasn't.
    And he wouldn't tell Erika she was too sexy, because even
though she was, that was something she didn't seem inclined to
believe.

    ERIKA HAD NEVER GONE TO A WRESTLING MATCH at the
high school. She never had the time. She was always racing off as
soon as the final bell rang, hurrying to her car and driving down
to the stable to squeeze in a riding lesson before the sun set. But
that afternoon it was raining, and she didn't feel like practicing in
the indoor corral. The indoor air tended to get musty, and the
horses kicked up sawdust and sand that left her nose congested
and her eyes watery. She put up with a lot in her training regimen-willingly, happily-but when Allyson mentioned that she
and a few other girls were going to check out the wrestling meet
after school, Erika decided to skip practice and join them.
    Just out of curiosity. Just for a change of pace. Just because.
    She met up with Allyson and the others after their last class
and strolled down the hall to the gym. "You'll have to explain
everything to me," she warned Allyson as they reached the gym's
double doors. "All I know about wrestling is that goofy stuff on
TV, with the guys on steroids breaking chairs over each other's
heads."
    "This is a little different," Allyson said dryly, then laughed. "I
don't know too much about the sport, either. But it's fin to
watch."

    "It is?"
    "Allyson likes to check out the guys," one of the other girls
teased.
    Allyson didn't argue. "They wear these skin-tight singlets that
don't hide much. You'll see."
    Erika shook her head and grinned. Allyson was so much more
into guys than Erika was. Not that she was averse to admiring
buff male bodies should the opportunity arise. That afternoon,
apparently, the opportunity had arisen.
    She followed Allyson and the others into the gym. The bleachers weren't exactly crowded; no