River's Escape (River's End Series, #2) Read Free Page A

right, but what other choices were there? Except for Shane, there wasn’t much. And Shane wasn’t ready for her… yet. So, for now, she could fill the time with Drew. They had been dating for a couple of months. It was fun. He was handsome and funny. And a good kisser.
    He just thought it was high time they had sex.
    She should have done it. What exactly was she waiting for? Shane? He would probably avoid sleeping with a virgin at all costs. He sure didn’t gravitate towards them. It would be good for her to get some experience before she was with him. So why not Drew Nichols? Only… something kept her from doing it. She watched it all through high school and after, as each of her friends and acquaintances started having sex. It was a big deal at first, knowing who did it. Eventually, however, everyone did it and no one talked about it very much. No one thought of it as a big deal to the relationship. Not like she did. She had to get over that.
    There was nothing special in her life, and for some reason, she decided she wanted that to be special. And the only special man she knew was Shane. But he didn’t yet see her as anything more than his friend’s little sister. He didn’t even know she was in the room most of the time.
    She slammed a fist into her mattress. He was most likely making out on her couch with Lauren Townsend right now. He would sometimes saunter off into one of her brothers’ rooms to have sex with whoever he was hanging out with. She had even heard him before and it stabbed her heart as if someone were punching her chest.
    Why couldn’t Shane see her? What did she have to do to get his attention? And how long was she going to waste her time on losers like Drew? When the man she most wanted was, no doubt, about to have sex in her house. With someone else. Someone who didn’t love him, not like she did. He had to discover eventually that she was the one for him, didn’t he?

Chapter Two
     
    THE NEXT MORNING, KAILYNN tiptoed into the kitchen to start coffee. A sigh escaped her lips. Shane lay there, sprawled over the sagging, lumpy sofa. Her cheeks burned hot as her gaze traveled over his lax body. He was a big man, tall and beefy, with a wide chest and barrels for arms. His legs bent strangely to accommodate the small couch. He snored, his mouth open, his head turned at an odd angle. His jeans were unsnapped, and revealed the top waistband of his underwear. They were black. She whipped around, and pushed a hand to her cheek. Holy crap! Her brothers must have stumbled off to bed at some point. Beer cans littered the small coffee table, as well as the floor. Leftover chips and crackers lay scattered over the threadbare carpet. She pressed her lips to hold in another sigh. More to clean. That’s all she did. All for naught.
    She quickly added fresh grounds to the coffee maker and started scrambling some eggs. She was an adept cook. She cooked for the Rydells some times and even filled in for the cook at the café if he were sick. She turned the overhead fan on as the sizzle of eggs filled the room. She was searching for a plate in an overhead cabinet when she turned around and ran smack into a chest. She stifled a scream. Shane. Not having sensed he’d awoken or moved closer to her, she soon noticed one of his pants buttons was still undone. His dark t-shirt slipped up, exposing barely an inch of skin, but the blooming heat in her cheeks was instantaneous.
    “Shane. I didn’t hear you.”
    “Sorry to startle you, Lynnie. What you got cookin’?”
    She suppressed a groan. His hair was messed up. Running a hand over his face as if to wake up, his palm rasped over his stubble of whiskers. The kitchen was small, so they were forced to be close. She wished she could lean into him, put her head on his chest, and inhale the scent of his shirt, even if he had slept in it. But Shane wasn’t looking at her; rather, he was peering over her shoulder at the pan behind her, the keen interest in his eyes