Naked Read Online Free Page A

“Let me out, Elijah. I don’t want to go anywhere with you. Understand?”
    His jaw set. “Fine,” he said, in a clipped tone.
    A moment later, he was pulling into the rest stop and parking the SUV. “Let me just explain one thing,” he started to say.
    But Caelyn had already grabbed her purse and bag, opened the passenger door, and started getting out of the car. She was so done talking to him—she was furious, and she could feel the rage flowing through every crevice of her body.
    How dare he look at her like that, talk to her like that, judge her like that?
    She immediately began walking toward the entrance of the convenience store that was linked to the rest stop. Caelyn was walking fast, not looking back, her hands clutching her purse and bag.
    Once she got inside, she pretended to look at some snacks, just for something to do while she regained her composure.
    She wouldn’t look up to watch him drive away, either, she decided. She could already picture his SUV pulling out and leaving the area. He would be gone and she’d never see him again. For some reason Caelyn couldn’t even fathom, the idea of him leaving hurt badly. It hit her in the chest and stomach like a vicious cramp.
    Why did she care? He clearly had a screw loose, and he was a liar, and he was mean on top of it all.
    She grabbed a Slim Jim, even though she didn’t even like them, just so that nobody would think she was crazy for standing in the aisle and doing nothing but staring at the snacks.
    The door chimed as it opened, and she didn’t look up to see who was coming in.
    She didn’t want to be disappointed when someone else’s face greeted her.
    But why do you still want to see Elijah? Why did you make him drop you off if you still want to be with him?
    There was no good answer.
    She looked down at the dirty floor of the convenience store as footsteps approached.
    “I’m not going to leave you here,” the familiar voice said from just beside her.
    His tone was gruff and commanding, and she almost gave in. Almost. But the wave of relief that flooded her body was quickly countered by another wave of anger.
    “Leave me alone,” she said, walking away from him again, even as a voice inside of her told her to stop pushing him away. If she kept it up, he really might listen.
    But she couldn’t seem to stop herself. The door chimed again as she pushed her way out of the store.
    “Caelyn!” Elijah yelled. She heard him coming after her, and she quickened her pace, not sure if she wanted him to catch her.
    Then, suddenly, another voice pierced the air.
    “Sir, your girlfriend is walking out of the store with unpaid for merchandise!
    That’s our Slim Jim!” the voice of the cashier yelled.
    Caelyn spun around and threw the Slim Jim, hitting Elijah in the chest with it. He fumbled it, but eventually held on.
    “I don’t even like Slim Jims!” she yelled.
    Elijah turned and gave the item back to the irate cashier, who said something inaudible to him. And then Elijah followed her outside, to the curb, where she was now sitting, head in her hands.
    She was crying and shaking.
    Everything was flooding through her -- the memories from the previous night, the things she’d tried to push away. It was all coming back.
    “Can I sit down?” Elijah asked softly.
    She nodded, not really able to talk. But she found that she did in fact want him to sit next to her, and when he did, she enjoyed his closeness. He didn’t sit too close, either, just near enough for her to feel his presence.
    “Elijah’s my real name,” he said, after a bit.
    She wiped some tears from her eyes and sniffed. She felt drained, completely drained, but in a weird way, it didn’t feel horrible. She’d needed to release the anger and the fear and the upset. The truth was, she’d been through hell and hadn’t yet really processed any of it.
    She looked at Elijah, sitting there next to her, his profile strong as he stared out across the parking lot. The part of his