Live It Up Read Online Free Page B

closing, the two men had gone and Andy stood in front of the open door by her feet. “Come on, little kitten. You’ll be more comfortable in my bed.”
    Her eyes widened. “What?”
    He didn’t answer, simply hauled her out of the car as if she weighed nothing. Again. He carried her into the house, shouldering the front door wider and making sure not to jiggle her too much at the same time.
    He really did take care of her well, she thought, watching her surroundings as he strode through the house.
    It was only one level, but it was a sprawling house with nooks and crannies everywhere and wood paneling as the main décor. The living room seemed utterly comfortable, and as she passed the wide sofa, she felt a keen yearning to just lie there and close her eyes.
    Instead, he took her to the main bedroom or so she guessed as she stared at the massive mahogany bed that took up most of the space. “Isn’t there another bedroom?”
    “Yes and no. You can sleep here.”
    “But what about you?”
    He laid her down on the smooth coverlet and stood back up. His eyes locking on hers, he said, “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
    He turned around and showed her a door on the right. “That’s the bathroom if you need it. The other door will take you outside. There’s a patio with a few chairs if you feel like some sunshine. I’ll go get your stuff then we can have lunch.”
    She watched him leave again, feeling utterly lost. The place was nice; that wasn’t the problem. But he kept making decisions for her, and it felt very odd. She’d been on her own for so long now that handing control of her life to someone else was starting to irk her. And that wasn’t her, damn it!
    She was the most easy-going person on the planet, or so her dad had once claimed. The thought of him brought tears to her eyes, and she blinked them away.
    Andy had brought her home to recover from her ordeal, and that was really nice of him. Yes, it was. So what if she had no idea what was going on? She’d soon learn. She just had to be positive. She could do that.
    She totally could.
    When Andy appeared a few minutes later and asked her if she wanted to eat in the kitchen with him, she jumped on the opportunity and followed him, albeit slowly.
    Her legs were shaking so much when she got there, he had to help her sit down. But it was worth it. As she watched him move around the large sun-drenched room, she felt more at peace than she’d ever been that week.
    There was something about him that called to her.
    Maybe it was the way he kept looking at her just to make sure she was okay. Maybe it was how he acted as if he knew what she wanted before she could even formulate it to herself. Whatever it was, it made her feel a lot better, and she was really grateful to him just for that.
    So when he put a plate covered with a thick bleeding steak in front of her, she made a huge effort not to choke. He must have heard her anyhow because he instantly asked, “What’s wrong?”
    “Hmm, thanks for cooking and all, but…I’m a vegetarian.”
    “You’re a vegetarian?” he repeated as if she’d just told him she had two heads.
    “Yes. I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner but I got distracted and uh…would you have vegetables or something I could eat?”
    “You want to eat vegetables.”
    He was clearly astounded. She bit her lip in an effort not to laugh out loud. The look on his face really was quite comical. “If you have any. Otherwise I could have pasta or cheese or… I don’t know. Whatever you have.”
    “You need meat. You need protein.”
    “I don’t eat meat, Andy.”
    “But…” He blinked. “Shit. No wonder you didn’t eat the burgers I bought you over the week. I thought you were just too weak to eat them.”
    “You got me burgers?” She couldn't remember eating anything apart from breakfast that morning. The scent of blood tickled her nostrils, and she grimaced, pushing the plate away. “This is making me nauseous.