Free Forbidden Fruit: Volume 1 by Lisa M. Harley, Janice Baker, Lexi Buchanan, Jessica Hawkins, Missy Johnson, Stacey Lynn, Rebecca Brooke, Olivia Linden, R. S. Grey, Morgan Jane Mitchell Page A

books I read, way out of reach for me to achieve. I wanted to be someone. I wanted a life I could be proud of.
    Only I just wasn’t sure how to do that.

     
    Chapter Two
     
    I woke up to my alarm the next morning at seven. I’ve never gotten up that early in my life. Crawling out of bed, I grabbed a change of clothes and my toiletries and headed off down the hall toward the shower. I walked passed a few girls who were already dressed and on their way to breakfast, one of them shooting me an odd look.
    Glancing down, I saw why.
    Shit . I was only wearing a light pink tank and my bright pink and blue striped panties. I was so used to going from my bed to the shower in whatever I slept in, I hadn’t even thought twice about it this morning.
    At least I’m not naked. Because that could’ve so easily have been the case.
    Moving a little faster, I held my stack of clothes a little tighter to my chest. Just as I reached the doors to the bathroom, Max rounded the corner.
    Oh fuck, no.
    If there was ever any proof needed that I was not a morning person, now was it. This moment was it. My hair was ragged, I had huge bags under my eyes from lack of sleep, and god knows what my breath smelled like right now. I looked and felt like crap. This was not the time I want to run into him.
    Too late.
    He spotted me, and smiled. I blushed, as his gaze ran over my body, right down to my toes. I didn’t even want to know what he was thinking right now.
    “Sleep well Maya?” he asked, in that husky voice of his. I nodded, and swallowed hard, not trusting words to come out of me right now. “Maybe I’ll see you later.” His eyes twinkled as they swept over me once more. I nodded and practically fell through the door, into the bathroom.
    Was he checking me out? He was so just checking me out. My heart swelled until I saw my reflection in the mirror. Ugh.
    He was so not checking you out.
    I quickly showered and dressed, before making my way to the cafeteria, just in time to see it closing. Sherry, who I’d learned was my roommates name, smirked at me as she walked past. Great . This day just got better and better.
    I wandered outside with a couple of books and went in search of my tree from yesterday. I set myself up with and began to read.
    To look at me, you probably wouldn’t expect me to be such a book snob, but it was the one thing that had always been there for me. No matter how hard life got, I could always lose myself in a good book, and for a few moments at least, my life would suck a little less.
    I was well and truly engrossed in the love story of Christian and Ana when someone sank down into the leaves next to me. I looked over and saw Max. He held out a bag.
    “Mrs Gromsby, from the cafeteria saw you arrive late and felt bad,” he explained. He glanced around. “It took me ages to find you. I don’t think anyone even knows about this place back here.” I grabbed the package and peeked inside. Nice. An apple and two chocolate muffins. My day had just been made.
    “Thanks,” I grinned. “If I’m not supposed to be here I can move.”
    “No, it’s fine, I was just surprised, that’s all.” He pointed to my book. “Just doing some light reading?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
    “Uh, yeah,” I blushed.
    Why couldn’t I have been reading anything other than Fifty Shades? My heart jumped to my throat as he picked it up and flicked through it. He read a few passages, his eyes widening in shock.
    “I didn’t even…I’ve never even heard of a spreader bar,” he announced, his expression mortified.
    I laughed and snatched the book from him, sticking it under my bum. He shook his head, amused by my embarrassment.
    “My sister goes crazy over that shit,” he grinned. “Never understood it. Why not read something with an actual plot?”
    “It does have a plot, thank you,” I replied indignantly. “Just because sex, romance and a happy ending isn’t your idea of a good read.”
    “I never said that,” he