Pursuit of a Kiss Read Online Free

heartbeat speed up. Unfortunately, the heart monitor picked that up
too, but she prayed Jake wouldn’t notice the slightly faster beeps. He still
had the same piercing green eyes. When he turned his gaze on her, it felt as
though she were the only person in the world. His chestnut brown hair had
gotten a bit long, and it was mussed from him running his hand through it.
Stubble covered his chin and cheeks, giving him a rugged air. And he still had
that one delectable dimple on his right cheek that appeared when he smiled,
which he did in response to her half-smothered yawn.
    Concern filled his eyes as his hand lingered,
entwined in her hair. Then, ever so softly, he ran his thumb along the shadows
under her eyes as though he could wipe them away. Without warning, he shrank
away from her and cleared his throat.
    “You should rest.” His harsh tone surprised her,
but it softened somewhat as he added, “I’ll still be here when you wake up.”
    “You’re staying?”
    “Your family would kill me if I left you alone.
And luckily, being a high and mighty Special Agent gets me around visiting
hours.”
    Her heart thumped as his lips turned up in that
cocky expression of his. Juliet fought to stay awake, wanting to prolong the
conversation, but her body refused to obey.
    “I won’t tell them if you want to go home for a
while,” she mumbled, struggling to keep her eyes open.
    In answer he leaned back in his chair and once
more propped his feet up. “As long as it doesn’t bother you if I watch TV, I’m
all set.”
    Juliet felt herself falling asleep before she
could reply.
    ****
    Brad paced around the waiting room, tilting his
head to peer at Carly’s watch practically every fifteen seconds. Carly let out
an irritated sigh, flipping the pages of her magazine with far more force than
necessary. “Will you sit down? They promised to get us when we could see her.”
    “Do you think she wants to see me?”
    “Probably not.”
    Brad’s hands tightened around the bouquet of
roses he carried. “She’ll forgive me. I know she will.”
    Carly snorted in response, turning back to her
magazine. A Latino man wearing a black t-shirt that showed off arms covered in
tattoos sat down nearby. Carly automatically shifted away from him, leaning the
opposite direction in her chair. She felt him watching her and her skin began
to crawl. Taking a few quick breaths, she slid her eyes towards him, wondering
if she should go get security or what. Maybe he was part of the same gang that
attacked Juliet and she could help catch her attempted murderer.
    Growing bold, Carly turned her head. The man sat
thumbing through a GQ magazine. He didn’t even glance in her direction as she
continued to stare. Either the magazine was a clever ruse, or she was a
colossal idiot. Reluctantly, Carly admitted to herself it might be the latter.
    Just after nine o’clock a nurse came out to let
them know they could go to Juliet’s room. Carly bounded forward, eager to see
her best friend. Brad looked as though he were on a death march. Still, he
caught Carly’s arm before she reached the door so he could go in first.
    It didn’t matter, however, as Dr. Erosou stepped
in their path.
    “Ah, what lovely flowers for Miss Juliet.” He
ran his fingers along the stem of one rose, lingering on a single thorn.
“Forgive me, I had to admire the bouquet. Go ahead in.”
     
    ****
    Jake cursed at the loud knocking at the door,
annoyed anyone would dare interrupt Juliet’s much-needed rest. Before he had a
chance to move, a lanky guy carrying what looked like a dozen long-stemmed red
roses burst into the room. Through the open doorway, Jake spotted Dr. Erosou
approaching, watching them intently.
    “Can I help you?” Jake asked.
    “Who are you?” Brad demanded.
    Jake stood up, getting some satisfaction that
the guy had to look up to him.
    “A friend. And you are?”
    “Her boyfriend, so get out of my way.”
    “Brad, stop shouting,” Carly hissed, trying