Free Ravenous by Eden Summers Page A

teenage romance?
    Her thoughts had been lost in her own self-centred pain. She had wanted to have an easy life in the country. Buy a farm and then have children. She hadn’t pondered how hard her easy lifestyle would’ve been on Jesse and the thought of moving to Sydney had been beyond daunting.
    Releasing the breath tightening her chest, she shook her head. It was too late to ponder now. She’d made the mistakes and had to live with herself. If only she could get through the early hours of every morning without her tears and depression keeping her company.
    All she wanted to do now was become a hermit so she’d never have to suffer from heartache again. She’d given the concept serious thought too. With technology and home deliveries she was sure she could live off a stable sexual diet of battery-operated toys. She would be alone forever but at least the pain in her chest would ease over time.
    The drive to the hotel was rife with wrong turns and road rage from passing drivers. It also took an hour and a half when the directions stated it should take forty minutes. When they reached their suite–which Karen had sneakily pre-booked–Erin collapsed on the bed, ready to rest.
    “Oh, no. Don’t get lazy on me now. I just drove your ass all the way here.” Karen poked her in the stomach and Erin hunched over with a groan. “And speaking of ‘ass’, yours is getting huge.”
    Stupid chocolate éclairs. “Sometimes I want to smother you in your sleep.”
    Karen smiled down at her while she removed her mobile phone from her pocket and began scrolling through it. “Go freshen up. I’m starving.”
    Erin hauled herself from the bed and dragged her feet to the bathroom. “Have you always been this bossy?”
    Karen poked out her tongue, not taking her eyes off the phone. “Have you always been this whiney?”
    With the help of Karen’s dictator skills, they were strolling around the harbourside within the hour. The breeze was hot and Erin was thankful for the light mauve sundress her sister packed for her. The strappy sandals weren’t her favourite though and definitely not appropriate shoes for an obsessive shopping spree. They ate a light meal at the nearby shopping centre and spend hours browsing and buying, but none of it distracted her from the thoughts of Jesse. Everywhere she turned she expected to see him–in the casino, on the monorail, over Pyrmont Bridge.
    “You’re thinking about him aren’t you?”
    Erin put the silky red dress back on the rack and glanced over her shoulder at Karen. “I wish I could stop.” She continuously wondered where he was, if he was happy and most of all, who he was with. The thought of someone else making him laugh or giving him pleasure made her heart thump a little rougher against her rib cage.
    Karen gave a sad smile. “Then go see him. You’re already in Sydney. Why not call him and talk things through?”
    Because she was ashamed of herself, for starters. Her cheeks were already heating with guilt. “I want to…it’s just…I’ve been so stupid.” Her fingers stroked the soft material of the dress in front of her while her eyes began to burn. “I’m embarrassed to see him. I can’t imagine what he thinks of me after the way things ended, or the way I treated him when he first moved to Sydney.” She shrugged and the movement tugged at her aching chest. “My own heartache made me blind to my selfishness.”
    “Why don’t you think on it while we go for a stroll around the harbour?”
    Erin nodded and they left the shopping mall in silence, moving out into the darkening light of early night. The hustle of people did little to calm her, but when they moved closer to the water skirting the edge of the walkway, she felt at peace.
    When her feet couldn’t take the pain anymore Erin suggested dinner and they started to walk with purpose. Every so often Karen would glance over at her and when Erin made eye contact her sister would look away. Every so often turned