Searching for Disaster Read Free Page B

simple sniff would push it all away for a long time. Was it so terrible to need a bit of help to cope?
    And afterward, she not only coped. She excelled. She was smarter and clearer and happy. People used drugs all the time, whether it be antidepressants, or weed, or over-the-counter cold meds. Some drank. She took a bit of cocaine now and then. No big deal.
    â€œIsabella? Are you okay?”
    She shoved the vial back and turned with a smile. “Sorry, just some friends checking on me.”
    â€œWhat’s in the bag?”
    She tossed it toward the back of the table and dropped the blanket. “Not important. I’m sorry we got interrupted.” Knowing she had a wonderful secret that was waiting for her, she was hungry for more of him. Hungry for his mouth and skin, to tumble back to the mattress and embrace the way he filled her up. She dropped one knee on the bed.
    Instead of pulling her close, he sat up with a frown. His mussed hair gave bed head a sexy new image. “You look different. What’s in the bag?”
    She paused. Studied him. What was he doing? Why was he obsessing over her personal business? Her voice became edged with razor sharpness. “It’s nothing, Liam. Forget it. Why are you making such a big deal out of a bag?”
    â€œIf it’s not a big deal, why don’t you tell me what’s in it?”
    The world narrowed. Resentment slithered like snakes within her. She hated people ordering her around and telling her what was good and what wasn’t. She’d earned a right to do what she wanted without answering questions. Izzy backed away from the bed and rewrapped the blanket around her. Warning bells clanged loudly in her head. “Because it’s not your business. We may have had sex, but you haven’t earned the right to pry. What’s really going on?”
    His stare shredded her barriers and buried deep. Her heart beat as loudly as the warning bells. How did this man seem to know her so well when they had just met? As if he sensed she was nearing a precipice and he’d decided to yank her back.
    â€œAre there drugs in the bag?”
    She raised her chin, blood chilling in her veins. “Back off, Liam.”
    â€œI don’t do drugs, and I don’t surround myself with people who do. I’ve seen firsthand how that stuff ruins lives and turns people into monsters.”
    Izzy forced a laugh but her throat was bone-dry, and it came out a bit rattled. “‘Monsters’? Don’t you think you’re taking this law enforcement thing a bit too far? You’re telling me you never did a bit of weed in high school or college? Drank underage? Stolen a cig before you were eighteen? Must be nice to be perfect.”
    His jaw tightened. “I wouldn’t know; I’m not perfect. I’m also not about to gamble with my life either. Listen, just get rid of the bag. You don’t need it.”
    â€œYou don’t have the right to tell me what to do.”
    His gaze burned. “Maybe not, but I’m asking. Something happened between us tonight. I’m not into magic and bullshit, but there’s a connection I feel with you I want to explore. I can’t do that if the stuff in that bag is more important than me. Toss it, Izzy. I’m asking.”
    The tiny room tilted around her as shock hit. She had just met him, and he was asking her for a sacrifice. Wasn’t it really just a way to control her? Shouldn’t he be willing and able to accept her exactly the way she was? After all, she wasn’t a druggie. She liked to take an occasional hit of coke. Why was that so wrong?
    As she stared at him, the room filled with a rising tension and inner battle of wills. The bag behind her became a symbol of what path to choose. Yes, she’d never experienced such a physical encounter, one that seemed to raise sex to a higher level into the mental and emotional. But she refused to allow him to set rules. She