No One Lives Twice (A Lexi Carmichael Mystery) Read Online Free Page A

around in front of a computer all day. You need to experience real life. Find someone outside the internet, and have actual, sweaty sex.”
    I opened my mouth to argue, but he was right. My life was boring, predictable and utterly lackluster. Unless you counted the time I won Redskins tickets for answering a trivia question on the radio. Other than that, nothing exciting ever happened to me, including the one and only time I’d ever had sex. It had definitely not been sweaty. In fact, it hadn’t even been interesting.
    “I think you’re made for adventure,” Sasha continued. “But you need to go for it in a big way. Basia will help you.”
    Maybe Sasha had a point. I wasn’t going to meet a guy by sitting in front of the computer all day. I needed to pay more attention to pesky little details like my wardrobe and grooming. If anyone could help in these areas of my life, it was Basia.
    In all truth, she had already made a tremendous impact on me. First of all, because she was the only close girlfriend I had ever had. She’d befriended me at Georgetown when we were randomly selected to be roommates. Basia was the antithesis of me—a real girl’s girl who liked dating, fashion, the social scene and expensive haircuts. My mom adored her and so did my brothers. But I soon learned that Basia was as smart as a whip beneath that feminine exterior, speaking several languages and having a flair for architecture and biology.
    Compared to me, exciting was Basia’s middle name. But I certainly didn’t want the kind of excitement that came with a guy like Beefy.
    I sighed. “If you happen to run into Basia, you tell her to call me right away, okay?”
    Actually I considered calling her right now from my parents’ house, but after thinking about it some more, I decided it was too risky. I refused to own a cell phone, so that meant I’d have to use my parents’ phone. My mom was a top-rate eavesdropper and I had decided I didn’t want them to know about my encounter with Beefy. I wasn’t sure what was going on yet and needed more input.
    I heard the murmur of voices coming from the dining room, and then another one of Tom’s annoying laughs. I decided I really didn’t want to go back in there.
    “Look, I’ve got to get out of here,” I said to Sasha. “Do you think you could retrieve my purse from the sofa in the living room and bring it here?”
    “Why don’t you get it yourself?”
    “Long story, but I’m afraid I’ll be trapped. Then I’d have to be horribly impolite to ensure my escape. And you know how my mother hates it when I’m impolite.”
    He gave an exaggerated sigh. “I think this means you don’t like the young man in there. Truthfully, me neither. He’s too full of himself.”
    Sasha wasn’t a nuclear scientist for nothing. “My thoughts exactly.”
    He nodded and went out the side door to the living room to retrieve my purse. I snatched an entire loaf of his bread from the counter, rolled it in a dishtowel and shoved it under my blouse just as my father walked into the kitchen. He saw the guilty look on my face and I knew I’d been busted.
    “Making a break for it?” he asked calmly.
    I exhaled a breath. “Do I really have to stay and talk to Mr. Preppy?”
    Despite his attempt to look stern, his lips twitched. “Your mother will be disappointed.”
    “I know,” I mumbled. “But I was ambushed. And trust me, Thomas isn’t going to call even if I stay for dessert. And honestly, I don’t want him to.”
    To my surprise, my dad came over and ruffled my hair. “All right, go. I’ll tell everyone you weren’t feeling well.”
    “Thanks, Dad,” I said, standing on tiptoe and giving him a kiss on the cheek. “I owe you big.”
    “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said. He looked down at me, worry lines creasing the corner of his eyes. “You’re looking a bit pale. Are you sure everything is all right?”
    “Never been better,” I lied.
    At that moment, Sasha darted back into the