The Impostor, A Love Story Read Online Free Page B

his aftershave lingered.
Dylan had caught my attention at the club a week before. He was
hot, but he went home with a different girl pretty much every
night.
    Brad’s girlfriend, Marisa, was quick to take
off her clothes and jump in with them, in her bra and panties. “I’m
coming in. Wait for me, Dylan.”
    “How quickly we are replaced.” Bradley shook
his head. “Dylan seems to have that effect on women. They all
do.”
    “She isn’t worth it, Bradley. It’s funny how
stupid women can be.” I took a sip of beer. “Jessica’s dad, my ex,
was a football player, and I was so infatuated by him. I figured
his muscles would protect me and keep me safe.” Mumbling under my
breath, I admitted, “Instead his muscles ended up in the bed of
other women or were used to put me in the hospital.” I breathed in.
“It’s funny how women think that kind of man is what they want.” I
peeked over at Dylan. I think I was trying to convince myself as
well. I took another sip. “What we really need is to fall in love
with our best friend. That is true security. If only we could be so
lucky.”
    “You’re one to talk, Nicole. You still
haven’t gotten over that idiot back home,” Emily jumped in. She was
upset that I had considered calling Ronald. I don’t know why I did.
I guess I was lonely.
    “He keeps promising he’ll change, and I keep
wanting to believe it’s true.”
    “Yeah, how many times have we heard that? How
many times do you have to end up in the hospital?” Emily
snapped.
    “I know. I’m an idiot. I don’t know what is
wrong with me.” I was a little embarrassed she was discussing this
in front of Bradley, but I think the beer had started to kick
in.
    “He hit you?” Bradley seemed really upset.
“How could a man ever lay a hand on a woman? Especially one
as—”
    “I don’t really want to talk about it.”
    “Yes, the asshole beat her regularly.”
    “I don’t get that. How could a man hit
someone so tiny?” Bradley interjected.
    “I didn’t take him back. I was just thinking
about it.”
    “Why would you do that? I already want to
kill him.” His eyes opened wide, concerned.
    “I left Maryland, didn’t I?” I defended
myself.
    “You left, but have you given anyone else a
chance?” Emily blurted out. “It has been years. Guys ask you out
all the time, and you always have some lame excuse why you can’t go
out with them. You’ve got to move on. No matter what he says, don’t
get back with him.”
    I needed to change the subject fast. I
surveyed the hot tub. Marissa was all over Dylan. Dylan seemed a
little annoyed by it, but she didn’t mind.
    “So Bradley, we need to find you a nice girl.
But you’re not going to meet a quality lady at a bar. You need to
go to a library or something.” We all started laughing . As if
that was ever going to happen.
    Brad was in his twenties, not muscular or
anything—I don’t think so anyway. He hid his body under baggie
shirts and jeans. Even though he didn’t try to impress anyone, he
had such a great personality girls flocked to him. He was that
attractive boy-next-door you could confide in. I couldn’t imagine
Alaska without him.
    I hopped up on his kitchen counter as we
solved the world’s problems and laughed with each other. There was
a quick knock at the front door, and the door opened before Brad
even budged to answer it. A really sharp-looking gentleman walked
in. He was a young, clean-cut business man, also in his twenties.
Not stuffy at all. I didn’t know much about suits, but I could tell
it was expensive by the way it fell on his slender body. Emily did
a double take, but quickly camouflaged her attraction by becoming
engrossed in our conversation—although the slight curl on her lips
she tried to hide didn’t disappear.
    “Hey, Brad. I can only stay for a beer or
two, but I thought I’d come by and say hi.” He shook Brad’s hand
and then his gaze quickly came over to us. “And who are these
gorgeous young