Just Good Friends Read Online Free Page B

him now. “This is a public place, same as every
other beach in New Zealand. And I live in Takapuna. I could ask why you’re on my beach.”
    “Maybe I’d better change my schedule, then,” she muttered.
“I’m not comfortable with you showing up every time I come here.”
    “That’s mad.” He felt his temper slip further. “You’re not
even my type. Too small. Too dark. Reckon I just won’t talk to you if I see you,
from now on. I’ll avert my eyes, too. Believe me, that won’t be any sacrifice.”
    “Fine,” she snapped. “Just do your run and leave me alone.” She
grabbed her bag and stalked off to take her shower, deliberately turning her
back on him before risking a quick peek to make sure he had left. She whipped
her head back around when she saw him continuing to look after her. Go away, she prayed, as she forced herself to behave naturally.
    The next time she looked around, he was headed off again,
and she breathed a sigh of relief even as her pulse continued to pound. When
she’d come out of the water and seen him standing there, it had sent a real
jolt of fear through her. This couldn’t be happening again. That would be too
much of a coincidence.
    She would tell Hannah about it, she decided. Just in case.

Chapter 3
    “What?” Hannah asked, startled, when Kate described the
encounters over dinner in the City that evening. “I’m sure Koti wasn’t stalking
you. He’s a good guy, Kate.”
    “How do you know?” Kate pressed. “Stalkers can seem like
perfectly nice, normal guys. They’re good at that. I should know. And these
guys are violent anyway, aren’t they? I mean, that’s their job.”
    “Kate,” Hannah frowned. “You’re talking about my husband.
You do realize that.”
    “I’m sorry,” Kate hastened to say. “I just mean, aren’t they
more likely to have those issues? Playing such an aggressive sport?”
    “Not that I’ve seen. I’d say the opposite, most of them.
They get all their aggression out on the field, I guess. And they leave it
there. In fact, you know, lots of times they’re friends with the boys they’re
playing against. When you watch them out there bashing each other, you’d think
they were the worst of enemies. But remember that some of them are going to be
teammates on the All Blacks. Or have played together in the past. They’ll be visiting
each other in the locker room after the game and having a beer together.”
    “And actually,” she went on thoughtfully, “you’re probably
safer with one of the players than you are with random guys you’d meet here.
Because they’re so visible. If any of them had that kind of problem, you’d have
heard something about it. I would have, for sure. This country’s too small to
hide that kind of thing. And the rugby world is even smaller.”
    “Well, I wanted to let you know, anyway. Just in case you’re
wrong,” Kate insisted.
    “I can understand why you’re wary. I do remember, though,
that Koti lives in Takapuna. Quite a few of the players live on the North
Shore, for the same reason you like it. It’s a beautiful area, and it has some
of the best beaches around. My friend Reka lives there, in fact, not far from
you. We should see her tonight. She’s Hemi Ranapia’s wife. Have you met him?”
    “Not yet. At least I don’t think so. I’ve only met a few of
the players.”
    “I think you’ll like both of them. They’re Maori, like Koti,
and I know they’re fond of him. They wouldn’t be if there were anything wrong
with him. And you know, Drew, and Hemi too—any of the senior players, in fact—would
never ignore one of the players abusing a woman. Especially not my friend. Believe
me, none of those boys is going to mess with you.”
    “And there’s that protection thing again,” Kate pointed out.
“You’re telling me not to be scared of one man hurting me, because another man
will hurt him. How is that supposed to make me feel better, that I’m protected
from the violence of one