Shiver Sweet Read Online Free Page A

town."
    "Really?"
    "Yes.  Every ambulance will be headed there.  I’d be waiting for ages.  Besides, nothing’s broken.”
    Reluctantly, I pocketed my mobile.  “You sure?  I mean... you should get checked out.”
    “I’m fine.”  He waved a dismissive hand with greenish dots tattooed on his knuckles, then studied the crumpled mess of his car.  “Guess I’m on foot from here.  Damn.”
    “Well.  At least let me help you with that cut on your head.”  I grabbed a tissue from my pocket and dabbed blood off his eyebrow.  “It looks pretty bad.  You might need stitches.”
    “Where are you going?” Nicola asked.
    “What will you do about your car?” I said, giving his eyebrow one last dab.
    He leaned down into the car, grabbed a box of sticking plasters and a mobile phone from the footwell.  “Meeting a friend.”  He shut the car door and locked it, never again meeting my eyes square-on. 
    “Plasters,” I said.  “You came prepared.”
    “Oh, err... yep.”  He pocketed them.  “Thanks for your help.  But I need to get going.  I’ll arrange for a tow in the morning.”  He limped away, glanced back at us once with an unreadable frown, then cut tracks in the snow toward the pub we’d just passed.
    “Poor guy,” I whispered.
    “Did you see the way he looked at us?” Nicola commented, then touched her cheek.  “My facepack.  Jeez.  No wonder.  I’m a human monster.” 
    “You do look scary,” I giggled, although it was more the way he didn’t look at my eyes that struck me.  “He’s embarrassed.”
    “Come on."  She tugged my coat sleeve.  "I don’t wanna be on these streets any longer than I have to.”
    “Nor do I.”  Strange, weird evening... and damn that Claire and her stupid mission to get Brian’s attention!  On the one night I needed to stay at home...  Grrr.  The plan to defend my house was already falling apart.
     

 
     
     
     
    CHAPTER 4
    CHRISTA
     
     
    A horn beeped outside the local shops.  I scanned the poorly-lit street, spotted Brian’s car outside the closed Post Office and headed over while hanging up my mobile.  For some reason, Sarah was not answering my calls.
    Brian grinned at us through the window, then leaned over to open the passenger door.  “Hop in,” he said, then slotted his mobile in its holder on the dash.
    My heart rapped a double beat as I opened the door wider to climb in his Freelander.  That old sting of guilt from our teen years never went away.  “Brrr...”  Once I shut the door to keep the heat in, a fresh masculine scent wafted around me.  Nicola climbed in the back. 
    I handed the laptop to Brian.  “Mission accomplished.”
    He placed it on the back seat, and then swept concerned eyes up and down me.  “The roads sure are bad, aren’t they?  You look terrific.  I thought you’d cancelled your meal out?” 
    “I did.  Th-thanks, but...”  I glanced down at myself.  I didn’t look great at all.  He was just being polite.  My long dark-brown hair tinted blonde on the ends was tangled and wind-swept, and the last time I’d glanced in a mirror, my mascara was smudged.
    Brian’s gaze locked on mine while he slid the back of his hand down my cheek, in a companiable way.  “So, I finally got in touch with Claire.  God, you’re frozen.  Stay in here and get warm.  In fact...”
    I angled my head, drawn into his lingering gaze.  “In fact what?”
    Eventually, he looked away and put the car in gear.  “You’ll warm up in a minute.” 
    “I’d say it’s pretty damn h-hot in here already,” Nicola mused, her voice tinged with a chuckle.
    After driving off up the street, he fiddled with the heater, but it was evident he’d heard Nicola’s comment, for he gave us both a sideways glance.  “It’s no problem.  Oh, nice make-up job, Nicola,” he joked, being equally sharp but playful with her.
    I sighed at their exchange, fed my hand around the back of my seat and poked her