Love or Money Read Online Free

don’t look bad, for an ex-con .
    When she opened the door, she almost jumped in surprise. A tall man leaned against the wall in the hallway, his thick arms crossed over his chest. She froze, her breath catching in her throat, her heart beating frantically.
    The man gave her a boyish grin, flinging dark curls out of his face. “Hey, Rielita.”
    “Hey, Evan.” She tugged at the ends of her hair. Now that she saw him, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to kiss him or punch him. He never wrote, and he thinks he can just march back into my life with a “Hey, Rielita”?
    His green eyes searched her face, a small crease forming in his brow. Then he jerked his chin toward the back of the house. “I wanna talk to you,” he said quietly.
    Her hands clenched into fists. She wanted to tell him off. She wanted to give him the cold shoulder, to get back at him for abandoning her. But another part of her, the physical part, was noticing the way his broad chest filled out his t-shirt, remembering the feeling of his strong, sensitive hands on her body. And there was something else: curiosity. What did he want to say to her?
    Riel chewed the inside of her cheek. “Okay. Let’s talk.”
    She followed him into her room and shut the door, muffling the noise of the party. Lizette had made the room comfortable for her. Her bed was neatly made with her childhood teddy bear perched atop the pillows. Her guitar stood in the corner, and her fingers itched for it, even with all the other things on her mind.
    Evan spent a few moments gazing at her. She stood stiffly, waiting, not trusting herself to say anything.
    “I missed you,” he finally said with a faint smile. “You look great.”
    She felt heat rise to her cheeks. She looked away, gazing unseeingly at a faded photograph of her parents on the dresser. Don’t tell him you missed him too.
    “So,” he said, clearing his throat. “When’s Isaias got you going back to work?”
    Her eyes snapped up to his, and she crossed her arms. So this is what he wanted to talk about? “I’m on probation for another year. I can’t even leave the county without permission until then. He’d be stupid to have me running under those circumstances.”
    “What, you’re going to be all law-abiding now?” His full lips curled in a teasing grin. “That doesn’t sound like you, Riel.”
    She scowled, fighting back the lump in her throat, and she fixed her eyes back on the photograph. She could feel him studying her.
    After a moment, he turned the door lock, then reached out and caught her waist, gently pulling her closer. She resisted at first, but then her will to punish him broke. His touch sent fire through her, and her body ached to be close to his, to be wrapped in his arms. She looked up at him, caught in his gaze.
    “Riel, what’s wrong?”
    “Evan…” She huffed. What could she tell him? That she’d spent the first month in prison crying herself to sleep because he didn’t write? He’d never been her boyfriend. She’d just hoped he’d cared enough.
    He took her hand, stroking her palm with his thumb and frowning. She closed her eyes. His touch felt so good…
    You don’t need anyone else. Other people just let you down.
    “Listen,” he said, “I’m sorry I brought it up. I know you don’t like working for Isaias. The guy’s an ass to you. But it’s just…I’ve really missed working with you.”
    Her heart pounded. “Evan…” She squeezed her eyes shut tighter. She wanted so badly to press up against him, feel his body against hers. Evan had almost made those long runs fun, had taught her to turn her fear and paranoia into exhilaration. They listened to loud music and giggled at funny bumper stickers. They stopped at all the best barbecue restaurants, and sometimes pulled off on lonely roads to fuck in the backseat. She remembered how his huge cock pounded deep inside her…
    She stomped her foot and shrugged out of his arms, glaring at him. “Evan, you never even wrote