Read Up All Night Long: From Lust to Love (Romance Anthology) for Free Online

Sicily's excessive cleaning or Lisa's harping on him. Lisa hated him with a passion and was more than thrilled to remind him every chance she got.
    Kari smiled at the thought, parking her small Honda in a covered garage and slipping out into the small space afforded her. Marc had chosen a quaint Italian restaurant for dinner, simply because it was Kari's favorite. She shut her door and walked quickly, hating the thought of being in the closed space. Her artistic side screamed for fresh air and open spaces. She jogged to the small elevator, the parking garage completely filled and yet not a soul was in sight. The workday still had a few hours left to it.
    She moved back and held the small door for an elderly couple as they walked out, the little old woman helping to hold up the man. Kari smiled and nodded as they thanked her, her heart squeezing painfully in her chest as she slipped into the metal box and pressed her back against the far wall. She wanted love so badly that she'd almost settled for someone who would abuse her emotions with his lack of care.
    "I'll be more careful this time," she whispered to herself as she walked onto the busy streets of Times Square. Being careful meant not falling for the first handsome man who holds the door open. It meant not saying 'yes' to anyone until she was assured of who she was as a single woman. Four years of belonging to someone left her quite unsure of who she was in the world. This change from New York to Maine would only compound that, but once she got settled, she could focus on learning more about herself.
    She wanted to paint. She'd done so as a child, but had put it up when she got too busy in high school, and then through the divorce of her parents, there wasn't much color in the world to paint about. Kari realized that it was something that weighed heavily on her still. She needed to reach out to her father, but the situation with Frank made her angry at him all over again. How could he have cheated on her mom? She was perfection.
    "Because he's a bastard, just like Frank... just like all men." She walked into the small cafe, the aroma of garlic and fresh tomatoes rushing to greet her. She stopped and let her shoulders drop, her eyes closing as she breathed in deeply and let the smile that tugged at her mouth lift her lips completely.
    "Ahhhh, Kari. How's my girl?" Geno, the owner of the restaurant walked toward her, his large body pouring out from the sides of his small crimson stained apron. She laughed and walked into his hug, groaning as he squeezed her far too tight and lifted her from the ground.
    "Hey... watch it, big boy." Marc walked up and extended his hand, Kari pulling off her small, lightweight coat and handing it to her brother. It was early spring, and yet the weather hadn't decided to act like anything other than winter.
    "Who-a you calling big, meathead?" Geno turned to Marc and playfully patted his stomach, the older man's accent heavily Italian. Marc winked and pointed to his sister.
    "Did she tell you that she's leaving us?"
    Geno gasped and turned back to Kari as they started to walk toward "her” table. "What is he-a talking about? You cannot leave us. I make-a you favorite food."
    Kari reached over and slipped her hand into Geno's arm, snuggling into the side of him. "I know. I just need to get out of here for a while. I'll be back. I promise."
    "Did a boy do-a this?" Geno looked at Marc before he pulled out the seat and motioned for Kari to sit. She did and her brother filled up the restaurant with his thoughts of Frank. After he and Geno stopped bashing the jerk, Marc sat down and smiled across the table at her.
    "Sorry. I hated that asshole the day I met him and hate him more now." Marc offered her bread from the small white basket that sat between them.
    "Well, at least he won’t be in the family now." She shrugged and took her bread, pulling her napkin in her lap. "Thanks for bringing me here. I love this place."
    "Yeah, I know. Remember that