Someone to Love Read Online Free Page A

and board.” He gravels it out as if
he’s the meal in question. “We’ll call it even.”
    I follow him to the tiny porch as he lugs my
suitcase. The air is icy as an Arctic breeze, causing a cloud to
form around our heads from the simple act of breathing.
    Cruise glows with the powder-white halo
surrounding him, and I give an impish grin at what might happen
tonight.
    He opens the door and flicks on the lights
before taking a step back onto the porch.
    “Ladies first.” He waves me in.
    It’s clean inside. A large living room opens
up to a kitchen filled with stainless appliances and dark hardwood
floors. Truthfully, I expected to find a colossal bong centered on
the table like a vase, or possibly a meth lab sprouting from the
sink. But to my surprise there’s no evidence of criminal
activity.
    “Nice,” I say, making my way toward the
U-shaped sofa. “Thanks for letting me crash on your couch.”
    “You won’t have to. I have a bed with your
name on it.” His brows arch with an air of seduction as he leads me
to a small room with an oversized bed. A maple dresser is set in
the corner. It looks harmless enough. Nothing to imply deviant
behavior—no sign of rope or duct tape, so already I feel
better.
    “I’m in this one.” He turns on the lights
next door, revealing an unmade bed with a river of socks migrating
onto the floor. There’s an abandoned pizza box on the nightstand
with a bevy of candy wrappers strewn over it.
    I see his nightly conquests leave him
famished, and his need for handy snacks outweigh any concerns he
might have for nutrition.
    A pair of chains dangle from his bedpost, and
my stomach lurches with an unnatural level of excitement—or
fear—maybe both.
    “Bathroom.” He nods behind me. “I’ll get a
fire going and warm the place up. Heater’s out of commission, but
I’ll fix it.” Cruise leans into the doorframe and examines me with
a proficient thoroughness. His eyes lock over mine, and the hint of
a corrupt smile plays on his lips.
    God, he’s gorgeous. I’m pretty sure a face
like that and a bed less than ten feet away is a dangerous
combination.
    “So what do you think?” He smolders.
    “Um…” I’m concerned I’ve missed a boatload of
clues that would have afforded a more experienced one-night stand
aficionado the right to be testing out those mattress springs by
now. “I think it’s nice of you to let me spend the night.” Really? Nice of you to let me spend the night? I’m pretty sure those
words have never been uttered under this roof before. In fact, I’m
betting niceties such as please and thank you have
only been screamed under sexual duress in his deviant den, laden
with chains and stale pizza.
    He leads us back to the living room, and I
take a seat on the sheepskin rug just shy of the hearth. I’m no
detective, but I can deduce that the furry carcass I’ve planted
myself on has seen some serious mileage in the soiled-with-sin
department. Although, right about now, I’m so freezing I don’t
really care about the questionably-defiled status of said dead
creature. I’m so cold I might actually jump in the fire just to
thaw out.
    A bouquet of flames ignites in the small
opening, and the room picks up a rosy glow.
    “Thank you,” I whisper as the heat curls
around me.
    “Anything for you.” He growls it out with a
perverse smile hedging on his lips. Cruise lands himself by my
side. We watch the fire lick the air with its lusty forked tongues
while I try to surmise the definition of “anything” and the
physical agility it might entail.
    “So what happened last summer?” In the event
he thinks my girl parts might be a good repository for the hard-on
blooming in his jeans, I thought I’d throw in the vague mention of
his ex. “Rumor has it, that it was pretty harsh.” I brace myself
for the unromantic tragedy that’s about to unfold. I’m thinking
bare-breasted coeds are involved.
    “Just your run-of-the-mill breakup. But
everyone’s got