Pulse 3 (Pulse Series) Read Online Free Page B

to bed.”
    He turned and looked at me, the devilish smirk he usually had now on my face. Our conversation had once again devolved into the physical aspects of our relationship but neither one of us could complain about it. When there was nothing but silence between us, getting intimate was an inevitability.
    “ Tempting,” he said. “You know that there’s nothing more that I would rather do than have my way with you. But just one night away from you means that I can make it up to you in more ways than one.”
    “ It’s here if you want it…”
    I continued to try and entice him but Rafael remained firm.
    “Not right now and not tonight,” he said. “But there will definitely be another time when I do take you up on that offer.”
    “ You’d better.”
    We shared a laugh with one another before re turning to the peace and beauty of the morning. I looked out the window as I enjoyed my breakfast, the sun making its way to the top of the sky. Rafael sipped on his cup of coffee and leisurely scanned the business section of the paper. It was just another lazy Sunday morning but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

    Chapter 4
    The small kitchen in my apartment wasn’t much but it did everything I needed it to do. There was never a need for me to do anything special within it. I never had parties and I never invited anybody over and treated them to dinner. The only time Rafael spent here was when he came over unannounced. There was no need for him to spend any time here when we could enjoy ourselves in the luxury he could actually afford.
    As I sat off to the side and peered into my kitchen, I watched my parents as they did everything they could to get the most out of it. While my father worked the burners on the stove to grill, fry and boil everything he was cooking, my mother stood o ff to the side and prepared even more food for dinner.
    “ Mom, what are you doing?” I said to her. “You’re making too much food. Nobody is going to eat all of that.”
    “ You’ll eat it,” she replied. “You don’t have to eat it all at once. There will be more than enough leftovers for you to last for awhile. And from the looks of things, you’re going to need it. Your refrigerator is completely empty.”
    “ It’s not empty. It has all of the things I need. And I’m the only one living here.”
    “ You’re still a young girl, Alice. You need all the food you can get.”
    “ Mom…”
    I sighed at my mother, knowing that there wasn ’t any way I could convince her otherwise. I was still my parents’ little girl. I had a steady job and no problem dealing with all of my bills. My life was stable. But they would never understand that. Not until I moved out of the small apartment I spent most of my time in.
    My younger brother Brian sat on my couch and lost himself in his phone. His headphones in his ears completely distanced him from the outside wo rld. He was still in high school and the end of the weekend signaled the eventual return to class. Despite his apparent disinterest in being here, he didn’t seem to be that upset.
    I was happy to see my family. I loved all of them just the same as I always did. The random weekend excursions they would take out into the city to visit me were a welcome change of pace. But they never came alone. There was always a good share of scolding about my current situation. Everything had settled down ever since I graduated but in my parents’ eyes, there was still room for improvement.
    “ How much are you paying for this place?” my mother asked me.
    “ What does that matter?” I said. “I can afford it.”
    “ You know, if you got a real cheap place, you could get rid of that student loan you’re always complaining about. Put some of your paycheck from that job of yours into bigger payments.”
    “ Mom, I work in finance. I know what I’m doing with my money.”
    “ It doesn’t seem like it. Maybe you just need to clean this place up.”
    “ Yeah, maybe that’s