Pursuit of a Kiss Read Online Free Page A

to
take his arm. He shook her off.
    Jake stood firmly in front of the newcomers.
“She’s resting.”
    “I need to talk to her.” Brad pushed forward.
    Dr. Erosou moved towards the doorway as Jake
moved to stop Brad. One of the thorns on the roses poked sharply into Jake’s
hand. For a moment the wound burned and Jake thought he saw a flash of gold…
    When he lifted his eyes, he spotted Dr. Erosou
keenly observing him from over Brad’s shoulder. Before it could all fully
register, Juliet’s voice rang out, sounding much stronger than before. In fact,
it sounded downright livid. “Stop it, both of you.”
    Both Jake and Brad froze and turned towards her.
    “Sorry the noise woke you.” Jake moved to stand
protectively beside her. He didn’t care if this guy claimed to be her
boyfriend; Jake didn’t like him.
    “Carly and I saw what happened but they wouldn’t
let us in the ambulance or even in to see you last night.”
    “What are you doing here?”
    “I, um, well I thought we could talk. And I
brought these.” He thrust the roses in front of him as if they could shield him
against Juliet’s palpable anger. His eyes darted between her and Jake,
seemingly unsure of the situation between them. Jake found himself enjoying
Brad’s squirming. He moved closer to Juliet as she took the bouquet Brad held
in her face, wondering what she would do. How the hell could she like this
douchebag?
    “I have nothing to say to you. I thought I made
that clear last night.”
    Jake tried to cover his chuckle with a cough,
but judging from the amused look Carly gave him he hadn’t been entirely
successful.
    Brad rubbed at a spot on the floor with his
shoe. “Look, that was… I mean, I hadn’t seen you in ages, and I was drinking…”
    “You’re the one who’s been too busy with work to
get together, so don’t you dare try to pin this on me.” She tried to chuck the
flowers back in his face, but with her right arm immobile she had to use her
left, so the flowers barely reached the foot of the bed. She growled in
frustration.
    Jake picked the flowers up. “Want me to throw
them for you?”
    She shot him a dirty look. He couldn’t help
laughing again. He liked this side of her, especially since her surprisingly
fierce temper wasn’t directed at him. Not only had she gotten more beautiful,
she’d grown into herself. Her strength and confidence showed as she stared Brad
down. Hell, if the old cliché about looks killing had any truth to it, Brad
would be toast.
    Brad tried to move closer to the bed, shoving
past him. Jake debated being a dick and blocking this loser, but at this point
figured Juliet could handle herself. He went to stand beside Carly, quietly
introducing himself.
    Free from Jake looming over his shoulder, Brad
lowered his voice, but everyone in the room could still hear. “I’m not blaming
you. Not at all.” He glanced over his shoulder at Carly then met Jake’s eyes.
He couldn’t hold the stare long. “Look, um, can we talk privately?” he
whispered.
    “Dude, it’s a small room, so whispering doesn’t
help.” Jake leaned against the wall, crossing one foot in front of the other.
He’d never witnessed a breakup he hadn’t been part of. It was kind of
fascinating.
    “Come on, Juliet, we need to talk.”
    “No, we really don’t. You’re a dick, Brad, and
there’s no way in hell I’m going to forgive you for this. I mean, for fuck’s
sake, how long have you been screwing that girl?”
    “I wasn’t! I barely know her.”
    “Don’t lie to me. Get out. Get the hell out.” As
her voice echoed around the room, she sank back against the pillows, her energy
fading in spite of the anger that fueled it.
    Dr. Erosou poked his head back into the room.
“This is a hospital, everyone. Any chance you could take it down a notch?”
    “Sorry,” Juliet mumbled.
    Turning his attention to Brad, the doctor added,
“Miss Morris needs to take it easy. She shouldn’t get all worked up right