Pulse 3 (Pulse Series) Read Online Free Page A

you’re ready. You’re not obligated to do anything. I told you right from the start that I care about you. I want this relationship to be something. I don’t want to rush. When you feel it’s necessary I meet your family, then I will. That’s your decision to make, not mine.”
    “ Right…”
    Rafael was quiet and calm. He was as understanding as usual. He always reminded me that he had nothing to complain about. And I could see it in him as he sat there and enjoyed the peace of the morning.
    “How is work, by the way?”
    “ Work? It’s going well. It’s nothing special but I have nothing to complain about. Why do you ask?”
    “ No reason. I’m just… curious. The company has been doing well ever since I left.”
    “ I haven’t been keeping up with it.”
    “ Of course, you haven’t. Why would you? There’s no need for you to know these things.”
    Rafael was reading another article about the company he used to be in charge of. Ever since he was temporarily relieved of duty, the only way he was kept in the loop was through news reports. He wasn ’t banned completely but the board of directors wanted to give Rafael as much time away from the company so that his reputation could recover. The same reputation that I was responsible for tarnishing.
    “ I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to bore you with talk about the company and other business. That’s not why we’re together. And that’s not why you spend time with me.”
    “ It’s all right. I don’t mind listening to you. To be honest with you, there’s a part of me that misses being in those board meetings with you.”
    “ Really?”
    “ Well… Maybe not completely but there were times when I would watch you conduct a meeting and be completely enraptured by everything you were doing. And not just because you were the most handsome guy in the room.”
    “ I… I’m flattered, Alice.”
    “ That wasn’t my intention. I’m just saying that if you want to talk to me about the company…”
    I could see Rafael thinking about it. The two of us had a lot in common but there wasn ’t much for us to talk about. The depth of our relationship was built on our attraction to one another in every capacity. But there wasn’t much more to it than that. Our time alone with each other was mostly spent in peace and quiet.
    It was obvious that he wasn ’t the same man now that he was away from his company. How would a man who’s barely 30 spend his time when he had no obligations to anything or anyone? The company was the only thing he knew.
    “ No,” he said as he shook his head. “It’s all right. What was I thinking? You spend five days a week in that building. The last thing you want to do is talk any longer about it.”
    “ I can listen.”
    “ I know. But let’s discuss something much more interesting than financial growth.”
    “ All right. But what else is there to discuss?”
    “ Your plans for tonight. Do you have anything special in mind for your family?”
    “ Not particularly… Usually, we just spend time with each other. Nothing special.”
    “ Maybe you can take them out. I could make a reservation for you.”
    “ Thank you… But I don’t think we’re going to do anything fancy tonight. I’m just going to relax and unwind with them for the rest of the weekend.”
    Rafael nodded his head then returned his attention to the details of his company in the paper. I took another bite of my breakfast as I watched him.
    “What about you?” I asked him. “Do you have anything special planned for tonight?”
    “ Nothing special,” he said as he shook his head. “I’ll probably get in some time with my trainer and then relax for the rest of the night.”
    “ Maybe if my family leaves early, I could stop by and…”
    “ There’s nothing more I enjoy than spending time with you. But it’s a Sunday. You have work tomorrow. I can’t keep you up past your bedtime, young lady.”
    “ Well, then maybe you should put me