Overexposed: The Complete Boxset: A Virgin Meets a Bad Boy Romance by Rae Lynn Blaise Page B

two.”
    “No laundromats!”
    She matches my enthusiasm. “Exactly. If I have to do my own laundry, I’d rather do it in the safety of my own home.”
    “What is surprise three? A room full of gold?” I joke.
    “I wish.” Charlene twists the knob to the door at the end of the hall. And we find ourselves back on the landing. “So, if you want to use the bathroom during the night and don’t want to disturb me, or even if you need a midnight snack, this is your only option. The same key works on both doors.”
    “That’s not strange at all.” I glance over at Charlene and quickly amend my statement. “But totally workable.”
    She pats my cheek. “You’re such a good girl.”
    “Thanks, Charlene,” I say before gathering her back into a hug. “And thank you for taking me in.”
    “Of course, dear girl. You’re my family, and family help each other.”

    C harlene’s words echo in my mind, as I unpack my bags, arranging my clothes in the cabinets. Our relationship may be strange, but she’s all the family I have left besides my Dad. And she’s done more to help me in the last few years, even more than Eric. She’d also take my secrets to the grave. No one will ever find out about Sierra, and I can finally put that part of my life to rest. As if on cue, the image of Devon flashes across my mind. I imagine him telling me to do the filthiest things imaginable, his face hidden behind a camera. My breath catches and my chest swells as I shake my head and try to clear the image away. I have to think about Eric now instead. It’s time to start focusing on the future.
    Suddenly exhausted, I plop down onto my new couch bed. I reach into my laptop bag and free the book I’d started on the plane. I need to get lost in someone else’s world and problems for awhile.
    Minutes or hours later—I can’t be sure—the sound of the doorbell wakes me from my unexpected nap. I hear Charlene buzz the person up, her excited laughter upon opening the door, the closing of the door, and then the quick clip of her heels against the wood floor. There is a loud rap on the pocket doors, and when I call for her to enter, her arms are full of flowers.
    “What beautiful flowers! Did Daddy send them to you?”
    “No. These just came for you, silly girl!” She transfers the flowers to my open arms, frees the card and hands it to me. “For someone who isn’t getting sex, Eric sure doesn’t skip on the romance.”
    I can’t help the laugh that forces it’s way out. My fingers fumble opening the envelope. And then they almost drop everything on the floor, when I read the simple words. “Anna. You are always Art to me.”

2
    S equestered in the bathroom , I stare into the mirror, eyes wide with panic. I take in my freshly darkened hair, the dark framed glasses, and oversized cable-knit sweater—at Anna. There should have been no way for Devon to connect Anna to Sierra. I splash water onto my face. How had he found me?
    My hands shake as I try to apply some fresh make-up, my brain searching for any clues. Any slip of the tongue that could have lead Devon to New York and Anna. The thought that he’s made the effort to find me, the real me, both terrifies and elates me. But I don’t have long to contemplate over this new development before there is a knock on the door.
    “The car’s here, Anna.”
    “I’ll be right there,” I answer as I quickly run a brush through my hair and secure the pair of diamond studs Eric had bought me last Christmas into my ears.
    I pull the door open and thread my way back to the living room. Charlene’s in a navy blue wrap dress, her hair elegantly twisted into a knot on the back of her head. “Shit, I’m under-dressed. Do you think I have time to change?”
    Charlene waves a hand. “Of course you do. It’s good to make a man wait.”
    With a quick smile, I rush back into my room. My fingers comb through the meager options I brought until I find the perfect dress, an eggplant-hued long