Set Me Free (28 page)

She smiled shyly
at him. ‘You know, it was you who reminded me of what it is I am truly good at.
And when I hear you talk about your work, about what could be, you light fires
within me that make me excited about the world again.’

‘I light fires
within you?’ he asked, slipping the hand cradling her back, down to her hip.

‘Mmm,’ she
murmured, pulling back a little to look up at him, to drink him in.

He released her
hip and her hand to cradle her face. His lips sought hers, gently at first, as
though asking permission. She gave it to him by wrapping her arms around his
neck and pressing herself against him enthusiastically. He groaned with
delight, and his kiss became more urgent as his arms slipped around her to pull
her closer.

Just before her
knees gave way, he pulled slowly, reluctantly away.

‘Now that you're
closing the gallery,’ he murmured against her lips, ‘I expect you’ll have some
free time on your hands.’

‘Well, I need to
get a job,’ she said. ‘The uni fees won’t pay themselves.’

‘You don’t need a
job,’ he said, kissing her forehead. ‘I’m going to take care of you from now
on.’

Charlotte pulled
back a fraction and looked up at him. His eyes were sparkling, and he was
struggling to contain his grin.

She played along. ‘Sounds
lovely, but I’m not really the kept woman type.’

‘Oh,’ he said. ‘I’m
going to make you work for it.’

‘Oh, really?’

‘Yes, really. There
was another important piece of real estate that came in the deal with Morgan
Carmichael.’

She eyed him,
attentive.

‘This place,’ he
said. ‘It’s mine now.’

Charlotte
considered this. ‘Hmm, perhaps there’s more to this law-breaking stuff than I
thought.’

‘It’s about
justice, Charlotte,
justice
.’

‘I’ll try to keep
that in mind.’

He smiled. ‘Good,
because I want you to restore this place with me. I can’t contract it out to
just anyone. You, on the other hand, get it, and with you, I think I could do
it justice. I want to spend my days with you, trawling through hardware stores,
chasing tradies and painting walls. What do you say, would you do that with
me?’

Charlotte’s face
lit up. ‘Are you kidding me?  I get the guy, and I get to play in the fabulous
Art Deco apartment building as well?’

‘Uh-huh.’

‘Is it fair?  What
do you get?’

He smiled and reached
up to tuck a tendril of hair behind her ear. ‘I didn’t know how far off track I
was until I met you,’ he said. ‘I was wasting my life trying to please someone
who wasn’t interested in what I have to offer.’

‘I’m interested in
what you have to offer.’

‘Well, from now on
I will focus solely on trying to please you.’

‘I like the sound
of that.’

‘I love you,
Charlotte. All I want is you,’ Craig said.

She saw it in his
eyes. ‘I love you, too. It’s absolute madness, of course,’ she said, grinning
happily. ‘You’ve blown into my life and turned it upside down. But somehow, in
the process, you’ve set me free, and changed my life forever.’

Craig held her
gaze for a moment. ‘I think this could be forever,’ he said eventually, softly
brushing his thumb across her lips.

‘Me too,’ she
agreed, and kissed him thoroughly, promising precisely that.

###

Thank you for purchasing Set Me Free.

I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as
I enjoyed writing it.

If you did, would you please consider
leaving a review?

Reviews help other readers, including
those with similar taste to yours, filter through all of the books available to
find ones they might like.

Thanks again and warm regards,

Jennifer. 

About the author

Jennifer Collin writes quirky, and
sometimes gritty, love stories about ordinary people dealing with what life
throws at them.  She lives in Brisbane, Australia, with her husband, two noisy
children and a cantankerous cat.  She used to party, but now her idea of a good
time is an uninterrupted sleep.  These days, her characters do her partying for
her, and she doesn't necessarily let them sleep.

You can connect with Jennifer by
visiting:

http://www.jennifercollin.com/

https://www.facebook.com/JenniferCollinAuthorPage?ref=hl

https://twitter.com/CollinJennifer

http://www.pinterest.com/jycolli/

Want to know what will happen to poor,
lost Emily? 

Keep reading – an excerpt from
Open My
Eyes
follows. 

Open My Eyes

By Jennifer Collin

Chapter one

‘I can’t believe I let you talk me into
this,’ said Emily Evans, making herself comfortable on the closed toilet seat.
‘I barely even know you.’

‘It’s
a good idea,’ said Annie Martin, standing over her in the confined space. ‘This
way you can stop wondering. You’ll know.’

Emily
looked at Annie, whom she’d known for all of eight hours, and with whom she was
now sharing the scariest moment of her life. Dressed in skinny black jeans and
enormous boots secured by half-a-dozen big brass buttons, Annie certainly
wasn’t oozing moral support. Above the jeans, her black velvet jacket was
cropped, the back laced with a satin ribbon. Her thick brunette hair was tied
up in a chignon. Deviant Victorian schoolmistress up top, modern-day biker down
below; don’t-give-a-crap attitude all over. Emily liked Annie. It wasn’t often
you met someone you clicked with right away.

In
a toilet cubicle of a nightclub on the twenty-second floor of a Kyoto
high-rise, petite Annie in her chunky boots climbed onto the toilet seat behind
Emily to peek out the tiny window high on the wall above. Her lithe figure made
Emily feel like a bloated frump beneath her shapeless A-line mini. Her tights
might be holding her stomach in, but the water retention in Emily’s ankles was
out there for everyone to see. At least the dress concealed her exploding
boobs.

‘You
should see this view,’ Annie said.

‘I’m
not sure “view” is the right word. I doubt that window was put there for its
vantage points,’ Emily replied, looking up.

‘You’ve
got to make the most of what’s at your disposal, I always say. Come on, get up
here and take a look.’

Sighing,
Emily stood and checked her watch. Only two of the ten minutes had passed. She
may as well look; it was one way to kill the time. Dusting herself off, she
climbed up next to Annie, balancing on one foot at the back of the ceramic
toilet.

The
view was spectacular; the city was glowing. Who needed stars when you had all
of this radiance? Far below, vehicles flowed in a silent river of light, the
usual traffic sounds obscured by their elevation, the hum of the bathroom
ventilator, and the dull bass beats thumping through the bathroom walls. Kyoto
seemed to stretch forever and from up here, it was disorienting. Somewhere out
there was Arashiyama, the little village within the city Annie had shown her
that afternoon, with its quaint little shops and delicious coffee.

Annie
climbed down. ‘How are we doing for time?’

Emily
followed and checked her watch again. ‘Six minutes to go.’

‘Should
we peek?’

Emily
moved the urine-soaked stick behind her back. ‘No, I don’t want to have any
doubts. I want to wait.’

‘Okay.
Should we talk about the what ifs then?’

‘No,
let’s not.’
Definitely not
.

Two
giggling punters burst into the ladies’ room, filling it with their animated
chatter. Annie grinned at her, and they waited in silence until the Japanese
girls had left.

Emily
dropped her head into her hands. ‘I can’t believe I let you talk me into doing
this in a place like this.’

‘I
can’t believe you went along with it,’ said Annie, picking at her cuticles.

‘Hmm,’
said Emily. ‘I’m starting to think I’ve given you the impression I’m easy to
manipulate. First, you have me traipsing halfway across the city seconds after
I’ve met you, and now I’m peeing on a stick for you.’

Annie
winked at her again. ‘But aren’t you having fun?’

Emily
laughed. ‘As much as I can given the circumstances, I suppose.’

‘Well,
I am,’ said Annie. ‘It’s been so long since I’ve hung out with an Aussie, let
alone one from Brisbane. And it’s nice to make a new friend. I’ve been living
over here so long now I’ve lost touch with all my old ones. Hey, you know what?
We should move in together when we go back home. We both need a place, and we
get along great. Whaddya say? I’m super clean.’

‘I’m
not,’ said Emily. ‘Could you live with that?’

Annie
smiled. ‘I’m willing to give it a go if you are.’

‘I
don’t know … How do I know you’re not some weirdo?’

Annie
gestured to her outfit. ‘Hello? Doesn’t this give it away?’

Emily
laughed.

Earlier
that day, Annie had found Emily wandering through Kyoto Railway Station
searching for an espresso
not
made by Starbucks. Her honey-blonde hair
had marked her as a curiosity for the passers-by, and there had been a lot of
passers-by. Annie rescued her, took her to find a decent coffee and, a few
hours of sightseeing later, Emily had made a new friend. She could do worse
than share a flat with Annie.

‘Okay,’
said Emily. ‘When are you getting home?’

‘Three
weeks.’

‘Cool.
That works for me.’

The
beats from the club paused, then a muffled roar from the crowd heralded the
start of a new song.

Annie
groaned. ‘I absolutely hate this band,’ she said. ‘I can’t believe I let you
talk me into coming.’

Emily
smiled. Now wasn’t the time to let Annie know her little brother was Reality
Cheque’s lead guitarist. ‘What are you going to do when you go home?’ she asked
instead. ‘I’ve got no idea what I’m going to do,’ she continued before Annie
could answer. ‘But I need to do it fast. I’ve blown almost all of my savings on
this trip.’

‘I
didn’t think artists had savings. Are you going to be able to pay your rent?’
asked Annie, grinning at her. ‘Couldn’t you claim the trip as research? As a
business expense? Maybe you could paint a few temples when you get home.’

‘It’s
not that simple.’ Emily sighed. ‘Painting is just the first step. I need to
sell them too, and given I pissed off the most influential art dealer in town
before I left, I’m not off to a good start.’

‘How
did that happen?’

‘He
wanted me to stick around and make the most of the publicity from my last show.
God, I don’t want to go home.’

‘I
do. I can’t wait. I keep thinking about the sound of birdsong. I hated it when
I was younger; it made me feel like a country bumpkin, like I was living in a
country town, not a city. But now the constant buzzing of big cities is doing
my head in. Traffic, trains, air-conditioning. I want to hear birds again.’

‘Really,
birdsong? I don’t think I’ve ever noticed.’

Annie
pointed to the hand Emily still held behind her back. ‘Hey, I think the ten
minutes might be up now.’

Emily
looked at her watch for the third time. Annie was right, it was time to check
the stick. Heart hammering, she fell back against the cubicle partition. She
swallowed, squeezed her eyes shut, and took a deep breath. Slowly, she moved
her hand around until she held the small stick in front of her. She exhaled and
opened her eyes and looked.

Two
little blue lines looked back at her.

She
was pregnant.

She
burst into tears.

Annie’s
arms went around her, and Emily buried her face in her new friend’s shoulder.
Annie stroked her hair and let her cry.

More
punters came in to use the bathroom. Unlike last time, their chatter died
immediately. Emily heard a tentative voice call out in Japanese and from within
the hug she felt Annie answer.

By
the time the newcomers left the bathroom, Emily was regaining control. She
sniffed and wiped her eyes with toilet paper.

‘Sorry,’
she said to Annie.

‘It’s
okay.’

‘So,
now I know.’ Emily studied the scrunched up ball of paper in her hand. ‘We
should get out of here,’ she said. She lifted the toilet seat and dropped in
her little bundle of tears.

‘Are
you sure you’re ready?’

Emily
nodded.

Five
minutes later, make-up restored and shoulders set, Emily let Annie lead her
back into the noise and darkness of the club. The smell of stale beer was like
a slap in the face. The music was too loud, the lights too flashy and the people
too close. None of it had bothered her before, but now the room was spinning.
She found a table edge to grip, and took a deep breath.

On
stage, her brother Andy was ripping through a guitar solo. His brown hair fell
over his eyes as he concentrated on the instrument in his hands. In skinny
black jeans and T-shirts, the band looked like a bunch of clones. But unlike
Annie, Emily didn’t mind them. They were definitely cocksure, but it was hard
to go wrong with three-chord pop-punk guitar riffs.

Emily
salvaged some sense of calm. It was Andy’s idea that she come to Japan with the
band. He could see she needed the distraction, to get the hell out of the
country. A quick overseas jaunt to escape a sticky situation was a technique
they’d both observed Charlotte apply, again and again, after each one of her
failed relationships.

Admittedly,
taking advice from Andy wasn’t usually the best idea, but here she was, in the
midst of a Japanese nightclub on her first overseas trip. Emily let go of the
table and put her shoulders back. She was brave, she could step out of her
comfort zone, and she had people around her who cared about her. Even the ones
she’d only just met were looking out for her.

Her
hand moved to her stomach. A little human being was growing inside her. One she
would have to look out for. Holy crap.

She
glanced at Annie to find her watching her. ‘Can I get you a drink?’ Annie
asked.

‘Maybe
some water.’

Annie
nodded and drifted off in the direction of the bar.

On
stage, the band wrapped up. The bar must have been busy because Annie was gone
a while. By the time she returned, Andy was weaving his way through the crowd,
looking for Emily, to take her backstage. He and Annie converged on her at the
same time.

‘You
ready?’ Andy asked Emily, as Annie set a bottle of water down in front of her.

Emily
nodded and turned to Annie, to find her squirming. Amused, Emily considered her
brother. The family resemblance was there, but, with his brown hair slightly
tinged with auburn, Andy looked more like Charlotte. In the darkness of the
club, the similarities between Emily and Andy would be easy to miss. Emily
smiled to herself. Annie must think the rockstar from the stage had come to hit
on her.

Andy
flicked his eyes over Annie. Emily reached for her hand. ‘Can my friend come
too?’ she asked.

Andy
gave Annie a second look. He would be wondering where the hell this friend had
come from. ‘Sure,’ he said.

‘This
is Annie,’ Emily told him. ‘She showed me around this afternoon. Annie, this is
my brother Andy.’

Annie
flushed a spectacular shade of scarlet. Emily checked her brother, and
predictably, he misinterpreted the blush, straightened his back and puffed out
his chest, readying himself to turn on what he thought was charm. It fell well
short, but Emily always found it entertaining to watch.

Annie’s
brows snapped together and she glared at him, prolonging the entertainment.
Emily had never seen Andy flinch before. She restrained her smirk as her
brother faltered, then shrugged and loped off, signalling they should follow.
They wove through the crowd behind him.

‘I
can’t believe you didn’t tell me your brother is in that band!’ hissed Annie.

‘You
might not have come if you knew,’ said Emily. ‘I had to twist your arm as it
was.’

‘Emily,
I’m not so sure about this. Maybe I should just call it a night. I don’t really
do the whole backstage thing.’

‘No.’
Emily stopped. ‘Don’t go. Please stay.’

Annie
pondered her a moment, then sighed and gave Emily a gentle nudge forwards.
‘Okay. I’ll stay. I’ll escort you into the den of smelly rockstars, but you owe
me one.’

Emily
smiled. ‘They’re not so smelly. But thanks, I appreciate it.’

They
followed Andy through the stage door. Emily had never needed company backstage
before, but tonight the prospect of making small talk with groupies held little
appeal.

Tonight
was different. The harsh fluorescent lighting was the same, as were the frayed
couches and stained carpet. Even the generic band posters lining the walls were
familiar. The usual guitars were scattered around the room, and it reeked of
pheromones.

It
seemed they were smelly after all. That was new, or maybe she just hadn’t
noticed it previously.

Nor
had the smoke bothered her before, but tonight the vaporous cocktail of
chemically treated tobacco and marijuana was making it hard to breathe.
Declining everything offered her way, and holding on tight to her water bottle,
she slowly suffocated. It was quieter back here than in the club, as it had
been in the bathroom, but Emily couldn’t focus on any of the conversations swirling
around her. She eased herself onto the arm of the couch Annie had huffed
herself into and, for a second, the room stopped spinning.