Thirteen Hours Read Online Free Page B

It’s filthy. And there’s no room.”
    The pain in her head intensified, making her wince. Perfect. She was about to get the worst headache of her life while trapped in an elevator with a beautiful, nymphomaniac lesbian stripper who was almost a veterinarian. She groaned in self-disgust. What a loser.
    Before Dana could protest, Laurel crawled over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
    “What are you doing?” Dana’s voice sounded loud and accusatory.
    Shock at Laurel’s touch gave way to plain agony, and she grabbed her head with both hands.
    Laurel pulled her closer. “Lie back on me. Put your head on my lap and just try to relax, okay?”
    Gritting her teeth, Dana tried to jerk away. “I’m fine. Get back on your own side. You’re making it worse.”
    “No, you’re the one doing that. If you’d just lie down, you’d feel better.”
    Dana released an explosive sigh. Her head felt so heavy and achy that it was all she could do to keep it upright. Laurel wouldn’t let go.
    “Stop fighting me,” she said, pulling Dana into her soft body.
    A thrill of pleasure shot through Dana when her arm pressed into Laurel’s generous breasts. She had to admit, her lap looked awfully inviting. Rather than struggle, she surprised herself by acquiescing. She shifted so that she could lay her head down on Laurel’s thigh, stretching her legs across the length of the elevator car.
    “Thank you,” Laurel whispered.
    Dana gazed up at the smooth skin of her cheeks, the elegant shape of her nose, and the deep, sincere blue of her eyes. Not good.
    She was never going to relax staring at this face. She turned onto her side, realizing only too late that she’d rolled the wrong way. Laurel’s stomach was directly in front of her. She took shallow breaths, trying hard not to think about how close her face was to the space between Laurel’s legs.
    “Comfortable?” Laurel whispered. Her stomach moved beneath her snug T-shirt as she spoke.
    “Oh, yes.” Two hours ago, it would have seemed impossible to be so close to such a beautiful woman. Dana still had trouble believing the elevator nightmare was really happening. It was the kind of far-fetched plot twist that made her grimace when she was reading a book. She moaned as Laurel’s hand found the tense, knotted muscles between her shoulder blades. “Oh, God, that feels good.”
    Laurel rubbed harder, hitting all the perfect spots, gradually relaxing Dana’s tortured muscles. “You like that?” There was a quiet satisfaction in her voice.
    “It feels amazing.” Incredibly, Dana felt her muscles loosen, and the tension in her head began to dissipate. Whimpering, she said, “My lower back hurts, too.”
    Laurel chuckled and moved her hand down along the path of Dana’s spine. “Was that a hint?”
    Dana burrowed closer. As silly as she felt accepting the tender attention, she couldn’t deny the effect it was having on her. The headache—so much worse than a normal episode—was fading away. A hot shower had nothing on Laurel’s soothing hands. And the sensation of being touched after so long without was nothing short of overwhelming.
    She would never admit to craving human contact, but Laurel’s long, deep massage made her more aware than ever of what she was missing.
    By not seeking relationships with other people, she thought she could avoid complications. Maybe that was valid. But the price seemed high, and she wondered if she’d been fooling herself, making justifications so she could avoid confronting the truth. Becoming a lonely, uptight workaholic was a pathetic way to deal with the fear of rejection.
    “God, you’re so stiff,” Laurel said. “So tense. No wonder your head is killing you.”
    “I’m sure the whole ‘trapped in an elevator’ thing triggered it this time.” And most likely the lap dance didn’t help. She hadn’t been that upset in a long time.
    “You really get these headaches a lot?”
    “Semiregularly,” Dana whispered.