Hooked #4 (The Hooked Romance Series - Book 4) Read Online Free Page B

Chicago. Together. “So. Do you think you can come over sometimes during
the week and help me transform this place, bit-by-bit? ”   His voice was in a near whisper.
    I nodded. I cuddled closer to him. “Of course. I have so many ideas. Do you think you’ll turn
that great room into a sort of ballroom? Think of the grand parties you could
have. New Year’s parties. Birthday
parties.”
    “Right. And weddings, even.” Drew’s eyes gazed at me with such love. My throat felt
caught. I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
    I kick-started myself once more. “Um. Yes. That would be gorgeous. ”   I sipped my wine. I noticed there was
a large hammer off to the side of his bedroom, draped in a few white sheets.
“What is that for?”
    He laughed. “That, my dear, is what I used to break
down these walls. This floor wasn’t always open.” He tapped his nose. “In fact,
I’ll probably be using it to knock down some of the walls downstairs. ”   His eyebrows
waggled at me. Every time I looked at him, I felt such sexual energy. “Do you
want to help?”
    I nodded quickly, leaping up and placing my wine on
the table before me. I grabbed the hammer and swept toward the steps with Drew
laughing at my heels. We went down to the library floor, where we could see so
much of the city. I brought my hammer up high into the air and rammed the great
beast into the wall, creating a large hole. I laughed, feeling the energy from
the blow course up and down my arms. I blinked toward Drew, beside me, shocked
at what I’d just done. “What— “ I called, laughing.
    “Again! Again!” Drew shouted.
    And so I hit it again, allowing another part of the
wall to fall. On the other side, I could see an old alarm clock and
slumped-over bed. I crashed again and again, already feeling weary from the
weight of the hammer. After a few more swings, I handed the hammer to Drew. He
grabbed it, thanking me, and then burst it through the adjoining wall, bringing
it crashing down. We were eliminating a room; we were forming an open arena for
a beautiful life, a beautiful house. I placed my hand over my mouth, imagining
Drew living here for many, many years—perhaps with children, with a wife. I bit
my lip, trying not to imagine me in the mix. We weren’t even boyfriend and
girlfriend. I was just his fuck buddy. His fuck buddy who was helping him re-decorate the walls of his home.
    Finally, the room was complete. I allowed myself to
fall to the floor, the hammer in my hands. It was almost too heavy to pick up
at this point. Drew shook his head, laughing at me. “I’m going to go get some
more to drink,” he called to me as he sauntered down the hallway. “And how about pizza? You like pizza?”
    “You know we live in Chicago, right?” I called back,
feeling sassy—feeling like my old self. The person I’d lost so long ago.
    I stood up and peered out at the world, hearing Drew
down the hall as he walked down the steps toward the kitchen. It was nearly
nine-thirty in the evening on this work night, and I didn’t care at all. I was
going with the flow. I was spirited, to the wind.
    I looked at my phone for a moment, finding a message
from Rhetta , the old woman who’d been at the class
that day. “Great job, lady. We’re happy to have you
back. You keep us young.” I bit my lip reading it.
    I did a small pirouette in the window as I heard
Drew come back down the hall, carrying two fresh glasses of wine. “Well, well.
I think I just caught somebody dancing.”
    “You saw nothing,” I answered him, teasing. I
grabbed my wine glass and did a few more pirouettes, walking back toward the
bedroom. “No spills,” I winked at him.
    Finally we were back upstairs, splayed over his
couch. The wine was flowing; our conversation was easy, subtle. We talked about
everything. I told him that although I was sad to see my old dance studio go, I
was very much getting used to the new one. “I don’t know when I’ll have time to
really go through all