Free Wanting Reed (Break Me) BOOK 2 by Antoinette Candela Page A

comment,” he answers in mock anger. “I will always put your needs first and still please the both of us.”
    “Cocky, are we?” I slant my head flirtatiously.
    “Don’t mistake my confidence for arrogance.” His pauses and takes a slow breath. “Not with you, anyways.”
    “Ahh… Am I different from the rest?”
    “Another stupid question?” he asks, tucking my hair behind my ear. “What is it with you and the stupid questions today?”
    “Maybe you need to shut me up.”
    “With pleasure.” He smiles as his lips eagerly find mine again.

 
     
     
    Job and classes. That’s what I need to do. Fill up my shitty day with work and classes. Bullshit. I know I can’t go to the center and ask for my job back, not with Elle and everyone else I know still working there. What can I do now? Work at a gym? Deliver pizza? I’ll do whatever to stick around Boston and pay my dues and finish my classes. A little bit of struggle never hurt anyone; it makes you appreciate the shit that you have. Growing up with no dad and having to work to help Momma put food on the table at the age of twelve makes me an expert on this particular topic. I pull my T-shirt over my head and grab my wallet off my dresser to make sure I have my ID. I head out to the kitchen where Luke is pouring himself a bowl of Lucky Charms.
    “What up, roomie? It wasn’t the same without you, ya know.” He grins, pouring the cereal into the bowl. “I had a couple of parties while you were away, and some redhead was asking about you.”
    “Yeah?” I reply, uninterested but glad to see that Luke was able to maintain his social calendar while I was away. I grab a bottle of water from the fridge, noticing that the fridge is empty except for the half-gallon of milk and a case of Rolling Rock. I turn and lean against the counter, wondering where to start on my job search.
    I’ve spent the last week moping around, working out at the gym, and just watching TV. Unfortunately, I can’t do much with my arm still in a cast. I’ve gone out with Luke almost every night since I’ve been back. I’ve flirted, but haven’t taken anyone home. It may take me a little bit of time to get back into the swing of things. Elle is not the kind of girl that slips out of your mind and life that easily, at least not for me.
    “Dude, we’ve got to do something with you. You’re all depressed and shit, like a chick. Put on your fucking big boy pants and get over it. I’ve told you this shit already. I’m taking you out again,” he says as he grabs the milk from the fridge, checks the expiration date, twists off the cap and sniffs it before he pours it over his cereal.
    “Damn, this shit is starting to wear on me,” I reply. Anytime I see someone with long brown hair I imagine it’s Elle and it fucking sucks. The disappointment I feel when it’s not her is the worst feeling in the world. It’s too damn hard to describe since it’s the first time I’ve ever felt it. It feels like my whole fucking world is imploding.
    “Yeah, I’ve got to shake this chick out of your system somehow. Change of scenery. I know a place. Live music and shit.”
    “I need to focus on getting a job right now, not trying to get someone in the sack every night.”
    “Not going back to your old job?” he asks before shoving a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.
    “Nah, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I think I made a few enemies.” Having Tyler approach me in the restroom at the airport is enough for me to know that there’s no chance in hell I’m going near that center. They’d all come out with pitchforks after the shit I pulled on Elle.
    “I’ve got an idea.”
    “Oh, shit.” I cringe, taking a sip of water. Luke’s fucking ideas usually involve bringing females over or planning another fucking house party.
    “No, for a job.” He laughs, noticing the look on my face as he shoves a spoonful of Lucky Charms into his mouth and talks between chews. “My friend owns the