UNTOUCHED (Midwest Alphas) (Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

together, taking the hint. “Okay,” she squeaks. “That’ll be nineteen-fifty.”
    He hands her a twenty dollar bill and she pops open her drawer. “Keep the change,” he tells her.
    “Thanks, Mr. Eastwood,” she smiles. “Have a nice day!”
    We step outside and wander back to the truck with the groceries. “So, I’m not allowed to make friends either?” I ask Charlie.
    “You’re not here to make friends,” he says as he steps up into the truck.
    I roll my eyes. “Okay, then…”
     
    ***
     
    I can’t sleep.
    I’ve been up since 6 A.M. Charlie sent me to bed at nine, well over three hours ago. I should be more exhausted after an entire day of work and no play, but I can’t seem to catch any sleep.
    I grab a pair of shorts and a cute shirt from the closet and step out into the hallway with a random book from the shelf in the corner. After last night, I started thinking about the stairs. Tobias climbed them without making any noise and he was at my door before I even knew he was there. There must be spots on the stairs that don’t make noises when walked on and if I’m going to be here for the next few weeks without losing my mind, then I’m going to have to figure them out.
    I grip the railing and slowly move my foot along the first wooden stair, putting soft pressure on them until I find that perfect angle. It takes me nearly twenty minutes to patiently memorize a decent pattern to make it down to the first floor undetected.
    The barn door squeaks as I open it, but I’m hoping the distance between it and the house is far enough that the noise doesn’t travel to Charlie’s sleeping ears. I move about in the darkness until I find the ladder I noticed earlier. Splinters of old wood scratch at my hands as I climb, but I easily make it to the top without drawing blood.
    I’m obviously not the first person to escape up here. A few small hay bales lie next to an open window in the wall, creating the perfect hideout to lounge in and hopefully relax my active mind. I look to the stars, take a deep breath of fresh air, and smile. You can’t get this view anywhere in Chicago, that’s for sure.
    I lie back and open the book. It’s one of those cheesy teenage romances that’s already been adapted into a cheesy summer movie that no one watched. Not my preferred genre of entertainment, but the idea is to bore myself to sleep. My eyes scan the title page and I see the initials M.E. scratched into the corner with a blue pen.
    Three chapters in and I’m still no more tired than when I came out here.
    Movement catches my eye and I watch as Tobias steps quietly down the front porch from the window above. A few moments later, he slides the barn door open and I slink farther back against the hay bales. I bite my lip, thinking that I’ve been caught, but he doesn’t see me as he walks inside and flicks on the fluorescent lights hastily chained to the ceiling. He moves slowly and cracks his thick knuckles as he walks over to his motorbike.
    I watch him quietly and my tongue taps the roof of my mouth. Charlie told me to leave him alone, but a question lingers on my lips.
    “Where’d you get all the bruises?”
    Tobias jolts and exhales a heavy breath before looking up at me. “My dad told me not to talk to you.” He looks away and focuses on his bike again.
    “Do you always do what your dad tells you to do?” I ask, smiling.
    His eyes flick up in my direction. It’s hard for me to get a read on him from this distance. I can’t tell if he’s angry or amused. He pauses before reaching out to grab the large, black helmet off the bike seat. “I got them at work,” he answers, avoiding my face.
    “At work?” I ask.
    “Yeah, at work.”
    “Do guys beat you up at work on a regular basis?”
    He finally turns and peaks up at me with narrow eyes. “I got them from operating factory equipment,” he claims.
    I smirk. “If you say so…”
    “Who busted your lip open?” he retorts. I stare down at him