Burning Heart: Fighting Heart Erotic Bad Boy Romance Series Book 4 Read Online Free Page A

dropped. Joanna looked at him. She noticed his demeanour had changed, the air between them had changed too. Joanna shook her head gently, like she could suddenly read his mind.
    “Joanna. I only wanted us to help her like we said we would. That’s all. But you’ve just told me a whole bunch of other stuff… And I can’t get my head around it.”
    “I wanted be your muse, Cody. I’m special too, Cody. I want to be your muse.”
    “Do you think that’s what you want? You want to be wanted, but you don’t want to give yourself. I think you want me to be your muse.”
    “Give myself? I think you’ll find I’ve given plenty!”
    “You know what I mean. As for Brandon Lynes. You were there, Joanna. You can’t re-write history. Brandon Lynes destroyed himself, but now it might be that he wants to take Ashley with him. Something’s happened to her brother, Joanna. He’s missing.”
    “What? What’s her brother got to do with anything?”
    “I don’t know. Now I need to go and clear this up with her…”
    “She’s using you, Cody. That girl is a drama queen and she’s needy. Soon she’ll have you at her beck and call.”
    “That’s not true, Joanna. You know, I came here to get your help, but now I think I’d be better off without it. Ashley needs friends right now, not enemies.” Cody turned to leave.
    “If you’re going to be like that, I may as well cancel our weekend away.”
    Cody turned across his shoulder. It was a return slap in the face. He didn’t want to be upset, but it stung him nonetheless. “Yes, Joanna, you may as well.”
    “Really? Is that how this is now? Well, if you’re going to be like that, I’ll bloody well take someone else. Maybe I’ll grab a farmhand to stick in my bed. There’s plenty of bloody farm boys in Suffolk who’d be keen…”
    “Joanna, I’m sure they will.  I hope you enjoy them all.”
    “Cody…”
    Cody turned around.
    “It’s such a shame we argued.” He saw the regret on her wonderful face and it made his heart lurch. What was he doing? Cody didn’t know, but he knew he had to do it anyway.
    “Yes, Joanna it is.”
    “Cody. Whatever happens, I’m still your agent. Okay?”
    “Yes, Joanna. And you’d better be a good one. Because I’m still going to be a better bloody writer than Jonathan J Ackerman ever was.”
    Cody managed to give Joanna Laws a weak smile before he turned away knowing that his relationship with one of the most beautiful women he’d ever known was hanging by a thread. He was in turmoil, and yet he was relieved. But his relief was tempered by fear for Ashley. He hoped she’d wait for him, because if Brandon was involved in this mess, then the guy really had lost the plot. And that meant he was dangerous.

Four
     
    I made it back to Essex after a two hour journey full of anxiety and stress. I couldn’t read. I couldn’t do anything but sit there shifting in my seat as I wondered whether this was all just some big hoax to freak me out, or whether Brandon Lynes had truly and finally cracked. He wanted revenge on me, of course he did – he was an imbecile who couldn’t see that he had been responsible for every bad thing that had befallen us – but surely he wasn’t that deranged? I drank coffee. I avoided making eye contact with anyone on the train lest they started a conversation with me, and I kept my eyes looking out of the window. It was a cold, bright day, and as we raced into the Essex countryside along by the Thames I couldn’t help but notice how serene and pretty that wide old river looked. Inside me a storm was raging, but outside all was beautiful. Today it felt like mockery.
     
    Nobody knew I was back in Essex yet, and I wanted it to stay that way. Dealing with my neurotic mother was an ordeal I planned to avoid for as long as possible, because she would only make my moods worse. We were like two ends of a battery, always connected by blood but always separated through common sense. We were total