Hide My Memories: A Romantic Suspense Thriller Series (Hide Me Series Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

herself.
    He walked right up to their table and leaned on it, ignoring her. "Jordan, where the hell you been, pretty lady? You owe me a dance," he said.
    Jordan giggled. "Hi Brent, this is my friend Katerina."
    Brent nodded in Katerina's direction, then pulled Jordan out of her chair towards the dance floor. Jordan threw a look back at Katerina. Katerina nodded and waved her on, then looked back for her mystery man. He was gone. The barstool he had been sitting on was empty. An uncharacteristic wave of disappointment flooded through her. She lifted her head to see where he had gone when a shadow fell over her table.
    She looked at the newcomer, preparing herself to gently reject his advances, but it was the mystery man from the bar. Up close she could tell he was very handsome. He wore a gentle smile that hinted at two dimples on his right cheek. His eyes were a deep, piercing blue that cut right through her. He looked older than her, but only by a few years. He was tall, and built-looking, under his plain blue T-shirt. A typical cop. But she found herself wanting to talk to him. She didn’t have anything against cops; she just didn’t seek them out like Jordan did. She felt a warmth spreading through her body at his lopsided smile. She smiled back.
    "Hi," he said.
    "Hi," she whispered back, suddenly feeling ridiculous. "Would you like to sit down?" she asked.
    He nodded and sat in Jordan’s chair. "I'm West," he said, extending his hand.
    Katerina shook his hand, noting his warm, soft grip and the calluses on his fingers. "Wes?"
    He shook his head, and his smile deepened. The two dimples on his right cheek deepened as well, charming Katerina in an instant. She'd never seen someone with two dimples on one side and none on the other. She thought it made him look incredibly handsome in a sweet sort of way.
    "Not Wes, West. Like the direction."
    Katerina thought about it. West . "What an unusual name."
    "Yeah, it's actually my middle name, but I'm not a big fan of my first name so I go by my middle name instead." Katerina's eyes widened at this fact, because she went by her middle name also.
    "What's your first name?" she asked him.
    West grimaced and hesitated. Katerina laughed. "It's that bad, huh?" She stared at him hard, then ventured a guess. "Opie?"
    Confusion entered his eyes. Katerina laughed again, feeling good for the first time all day. She took another swallow of her beer before she rescued him. "Your first name. Is it Opie?"
    Understanding crossed his face and he laughed too. The laugh turned his face from handsome into extraordinary. She felt the bottom drop out of her heart in a swooping sensation.
    "No, not Opie," he responded.
    She peered at him again, mock concentration on her face. "Dick?" He laughed again and shook his head. She tapped her finger against her chin and looked towards the ceiling. Fastening her eyes on him again she exclaimed, "I know, Adolf. You look like an Adolf."
    His face went blank, unreadable. He leaned close to her and said, "My grandfather's name was Adolf."
    Katerina recoiled, appalled at herself. A blush skidded across her cheeks. "I'm sorry!"
    He laughed and held up his hands. "I'm just kidding. His name wasn’t Adolf."
    Katerina's mouth dropped open and he laughed again. She didn’t know whether to feel angry or relieved or amused.
    He held up his hands in a placating gesture. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean it. My first name is Gerald. There's nothing wrong with it, I just never really liked it."
    Katerina recovered. She smiled and even laughed a little. She'd asked for it and he delivered. That was actually pretty good. She took another long swallow of her beer and appraised him, happy he had come to sit down at her table.
    "Me too," she said.
    "What?" he asked, looking confused again.
    "I go by my middle name also. I don't like my first name either."
    "What's your first name?"
    "I'm not telling. Besides, you don’t even know the name I prefer yet. I’d hate to tell you my