Untamed Read Online Free

why don’t you quit running and start talking.”
    “God, you’re right.” Layla laughed, rubbed at her tired eyes, and sucked in a deep breath. “I’ve been doing nothing but running away from him since he found me.” She shook her head at her own foolishness.
    “Well, now.” She sighed heavily. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. The important thing is that you’re not running anymore.”
    “He’s been trying to connect with me in the dream realm ever since New Orleans, and at first I tried ignoring him. I thought maybe, if I didn’t give him any attention, that he’d give up and go away. But no such luck.”
    “I see.” Rosie made a sound of understanding. “What’s he like?”
    “I don’t really know a whole hell of a lot.” She smiled at Rosie. “Except that he’s persistent.”
    “Has he been cruel to you? Has he threatened you or been violent and tried to intimidate you into being with him?”
    “No.” Layla shook her head adamantly. “Not at all. Nothing like that… I just…” she trailed off, uncertain how to verbalize her feelings. “He’s been… nice… cordial even. And bossy, extremely bossy.”
    “Mmm-hmmm.” Rosie peered at her over the steaming mug of coffee. “Sounds like a real cad.”
    “Rosie—” Layla laughed in spite of the situation and shook her head. “You’re oversimplifying it.”
    “Maybe.” She shrugged. “Or maybe you’re making it more complicated than it needs to be. He may be Amoveo, but he’s a man, too.” Her warm eyes twinkled brightly. “Is he handsome?”
    “Yes,” she said quietly. Layla shifted in her seat and avoided Rosie’s probing gaze. He wasn’t just handsome. He was the sexiest man she’d ever encountered, and she hadn’t even seen him. “Well, I think he is. I haven’t seen him yet… exactly.”
    “Girl,” Rosie said with exasperation. “You are writing him off before you even lay eyes on him? That just seems silly. You should at least find out if this fella can melt your butter.”
    “Come on.” Layla chuckled. “That’s not all that important.”
    “The hell it isn’t,” Rosie exclaimed. “If a man can’t flip your switch, then you’re just livin’ in a dark, dark world. Uncle Ernie may not have looked like much. God rest him,” she said, making the sign of the cross over her ample breasts. “But that man turned me on like no one I ever met, and we may have fought like hell, but the makin’ up made it all worthwhile.”
    Layla’s face heated with embarrassment at the very idea of Rosie and her late Uncle Ernie knocking boots. She plugged her ears. “Okay, no more sex talk about you and Uncle Ernie, please.”
    “Oh alright, now.” She tugged Layla’s hand out of her ear and held onto it. “What I’m telling you is that you can’t make any decisions until you have all of the information. I realize that you’re not keen on the idea of having some predestined husband or whatever, but you can’t run away from it. You have to face him and this whole thing head-on. Then you can make your choice.”
    “I think that’s the part that really bothers me,” she said softly.
    “Which part, darlin’?”
    “I feel like I don’t have a choice. He’s going to drag me off like he owns me.”
    “Hold on one damn minute.” Rosie leaned in and grabbed both hands. “You may be half Amoveo, but you’re half human too. Last time I checked God gave man free will.” She lowered her voice to just above a whisper. “Our lives are the sum of the choices we make. Don’t let some legend determine your future. Don’t give anyone or anything that kind of power over you or your life.”
    “You’re right.” Layla nodded firmly. “I’ll meet him face-to-face. Then I can tell him that I’m not interested in being dragged off and mated like a prize cow.”
    “We’ll see.” Rosie chuckled. “You just never know what the future has in store. You know what they say, darlin’… While you make plans, God