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Lia s forehead.
Ari returned by her bedside and Lia groaned as she applied the cloth to her heated skin. Ari could
hardly believe that something so horrible had happened to such a sweet girl.
Being there with Lia brought up her own tequila-drenched night at a club and that disgusting waiter,
Chandler, who d slipped her a date-rape drug. Ari refused to dwell on it, but it was hard to suppress
the memories with Lia lying before her in a hospital bed.
Considering how ashen Lia s complexion was, whatever she d been given was a lot worse than what
Ari had been drugged with. Ari decided that she should share some of the story for Lia s sake.
 I ve been through this if you want to talk about it. I know that no two situations are the same, but if it
hadn t been for your brother, I don t even want to imagine what would have happened to me.
Lia's eyes filled with surprise and a flash of relief. She felt such shame and embarrassment about the
incident and was feeling so miserable physically  the saying misery loves company seemed to
make sense all of a sudden.
 I know I should be more frightened, or even face what happened with more seriousness, but Shane
got there, and to tell you the truth I can t remember much of it. I was having a great time one minute,
and then the next, my head felt all foggy. I knew enough to know someone had slipped me something,
so I made a beeline for my car and called Shane. The rest of the night is really fuzzy&  Lia trailed
off.
 Well, I m here for you if you need a friend. With these macho men in your life, you may think that
you have to be stronger than you really feel, but it s OK to admit it when you re scared, Ari said as
she took Lia s hand.
 You are a great person, Ari. I m so glad to have met you. My family means the world to me, but
they ve always been so over-the-top protective that sometimes I do stupid things just to rebel against
it all. I m not saying they are wrong; I just want them to accept the fact that I m no longer a little girl. I
love being a woman, and I d love it even more if Shane would notice I m all grown up. I m sure you
think I m acting immature, but if you had put up with this the way I have for so many years, you d have
gone a little crazy, too, Lia admitted with a deep sigh.
 I have to admit I covet your life a little. My father was a drunk who ran off before I was old enough
to even remember his face. I probably shouldn t even touch alcohol, but sometimes it s nice to just
take a step back from reality. I was always the good girl, partly to make up for the fact that my mom
gave so much for me, and partly because I m highly competitive  even with myself  and there are
times I find myself breaking free, too, trying to experience all the things I missed. I d give anything to
have a big, loving family. You may feel smothered, but you truly are one of the lucky ones.
 I m so sorry about your dad, Ari. Ugh. That s terrible. I can t imagine what it must have been like to
grow up without a dad  but your mom must really be something because you turned out so well. I do
know how fortunate I am to have been raised in my family... I just wish I could have my big, loving
family and a few hot nights with Shane, as well, she said with a wicked smile.
 Lia! Ari gasped as she looked toward the door.
 Oh, please don t start lecturing. It s not as if you haven t had some steamy nights of your own 
speaking of which, how are things going with my brother, dearest?
Ari ignored the question, wanting to get away from this topic as quickly as she could. She went to the
sink and cooled Lia s washcloth again before stepping back to the bed. Lia suddenly groaned as if she
were in severe pain.
 What can I do? Is there anything I can get you?
 Some ice water would help, Lia moaned.
Ari failed to see the piercing brightness and the twinkle in Lia s eyes.
 Here you go, Ari said while handing over the water.  When do the doctors think you can return
home?
 You have to talk to me about anything other than this hospital or my ailments. I don t know when I
get to leave, and keeping my mind off all this stuff is the only thing that will make me feel better, Lia
pouted.
Ari paused for a minute as she tried to switch gears.  I got to spend a day in Central Park  
 Noooooo! Lia whined pitifully,  I ve seen Central Park a thousand times. Tell me about you and
Rafe. Are you guys all hot and heavy? Does he rock your world?
 Lia! I can t believe you. Not even an entire day has passed since you were brutally attacked, and all
you care about is my sex life. Priorities! Ari scolded.
 This is a priority. A serious one. You weren t there when Sharron ripped his heart out, then stomped
on it a few times for good measure. Rafe was different then  kinder. I know he s a bit of a pig now,
but I still see my big brother underneath it all. He s inside  just waiting for someone to free him.
You don t know me that well, but since you ve stepped into his life, I ve seen him emerging 
returning to the person I always idolized.
Ari mentally shook her head. Rafe didn t care about her; he just wanted her as his mistress, a sexual
and occasionally social convenience. He d told her so repeatedly. Lia was just seeing what she so
wanted to see. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]