Demanded by Him (Wanted Series #3) Read Online Free Page A

Sophie was
probably struggling for.
    The first time it happened, I should’ve known something was
wrong. Looking back, I feel like I let her down, but she hadn’t been with me
long enough for me to know all her little noises by heart yet. I thought she
was just frustrated with the blocks she was playing with as she tried to shove
them in the bucket with the holes that matched their shapes.
    I thought she was a genius that she could do that. She always seemed
brighter than other kids her age. I figured she got that from Hannah, though, cause
I was never a good student. But she got her rhythm from me for sure. She used
to bang on pots and pans and slam the cabinet doors in the kitchen. I was so
proud of my little percussionist. But it was the piano she always favored. From
the second she realized she could push down on more than one key at a time, she
was hooked… though I missed watching her play with one little finger.
    And then the rhythm of the beeps in the emergency room played between
my ears.
    Oh god oh god oh god. I wish I believed in you. I wish I could
use prayer as a security blanket and wrap the shit out of myself right now. I
looked out the corner of my eye at Addison. “Do you pray?” I asked, trying to
sound nonchalant.
    Her lips formed a straight line. “I will if you want me to.”
    I shook my head. “That’s not what I mean.”
    “What do you mean then?”
    “I mean do you pray? When shit goes wrong?”
    She narrowed her eyes.
    “You don’t have to say,” I said. “It’s none of my business what
you-”
    “It’s okay.”
    I took a deep breath, reminding myself not to hold it in.
    “I don’t pray,” she said, shaking her head. “Ever.”
    “Cause you don’t believe?”
    “I don’t have time for one.”
    I smiled. She was crazy. As if having religion or not could be
as simple as seeing if faith fit in your schedule.
    “Plus,” she said. “I don’t believe in God.”
    I nodded.
    “Supernatural father figures kind of freak me out.”
    I laughed, my chest loosening, and flicked the turn signal on so
I could get in the right lane. I knew the exit was coming, and I wasn’t about
to miss it just cause I was having an existential crisis. And then Addison’s
calm voice broke the silence.
    “That being said-” She reached forward and put my phone in the
cup holder. “What I do believe is that the world is full of grace.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I mean, shit happens,” she said. “But grace happens, too.”
    “Well, I’d like to focus on the grace at the minute if you don’t
mind.”
    “Of course.”
    “And I liked your civilized response to that question,” I said, glancing
at her face. Her eye makeup was slightly smudged and she looked sexy as hell.
And also like she would appreciate some caffeine.
    “Thanks,” she said. “It’s something I’ve thought a lot about.”
    “You and everybody else.”
    She smiled. “Sometimes I think people must wonder about that
more than sex.”
    “I don’t.”
    She laughed. “I wasn’t accusing you specifically.”
    “But you might be right,” I said. “Also, your shirt is on inside
out.”
    She looked down and then at her shoulder, fingering the seam
running across it. “Oops,” she said, raising her eyebrows.
    “It doesn’t bother me if it doesn’t bother you.”
    She slid down in her seat. “Eyes on the road.”
    “You afraid I might see something I haven’t seen before?”
    “Just give me some privacy, would you?”
    “Okay, okay.” I smiled, knowing I shouldn’t be so immature, but
I still felt like I got away with something when I saw a flash of her waist as
she pulled her shirt over her head.
    A second later, she sat up and smoothed her shirt and hair down.
“Thanks for telling me.”
    “You’re welcome.”
    “What about you, then?” she asked.
    “What about me?”
    “Do you pray?”
    “Only when I want something.”
    She smiled.
    “And for the babies in Africa and the refugees in the