Read Online A View to a Thrill (Masters and Mercenaries Book 7) by Lexi Blake - Free Book Online
Authors: Lexi Blake
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One minute I’m pure evil and the next I’m some sort of neutered brother figure. This isn’t going to work, is it? I’m being a bloody fool again.”
Her anger deflated like she’d released a valve, and all the bad shit slowly leaked out in the face of his slumped shoulders. When she looked at it without the filter of her embarrassment, she really had been hard on him. It wasn’t his fault that he didn’t want her. It wasn’t exactly hers either. She’d always known he didn’t really want her. He had a hero complex and there was nothing wrong with that. “I’m sorry. I thought I could see what it felt like. I really didn’t mean to piss you off.”
“You don’t understand me at all.” He slumped into the kitchen table chair.
Probably not. She wasn’t good with people. It was why she should never have even tried. She’d spent most of her life hiding from people. Still, she couldn’t walk away. She picked up the discarded cloth and sat down across from him. His hand looked all right, just a few scrapes. “I don’t understand much of anything, Weston. Can I see your hand?”
He sighed and let her take his hand in hers.
She put the ice over it. “I know you’re not evil.” She’d seen pure evil and he didn’t even come close. “And I certainly don’t think of you as my brother.”
A long moment passed. He allowed her to hold the ice to his hand. His eyes finally found hers and she saw a deep weariness there. “Why the heavy pass, love? I wasn’t pushing you.”
Because he didn’t really want her. She’d misunderstood him. “It’s not your fault so don’t blame yourself. I guess I just got sick of being the virgin.”
His mouth turned down in a fierce frown. “Ah, so you’re curious.”
Only when it came to him. She was pretty sure she’d go back into her shell now. It was better than the alternative, which was finding anyone other than Simon. She didn’t want anyone but him and that might be her downfall. She latched on to anything but her humiliation. “Why did you go all berserker on the wall?”
He chuckled but it was a frustrated sound. “I think we can blame that on my unruly cock.”
So he wanted her, but he didn’t want to want her? Or he hated that he wanted her? She was confused about everything. It had all been one massive mistake. “I’m sorry.”
“Why are you a virgin?”
Oh, she so didn’t want to go into that with him. “I was busy with my amazing career of being the world’s information broker. Not a lot of time to hook up.”
He sighed. “Why can’t you ever be honest with me?”
“I am.” Partially. “The only person I trusted was Charlotte. Charlotte spent five years pining over Sat..Ian. There weren’t a ton of double dates. We kept to ourselves. I was on the run for most of my adult life. Charlotte and I were always on the move. We never stayed in any one place for more than a couple of months.”
His face softened as he continued to look at her. Something about the way he never looked away made her feel like the center of the damn planet. “Has settling down been hard?”
Something released inside her as his voice went back to normal. He was letting it go for now, thank god. She felt the weight of his hand in hers. She wished she didn’t like it so much. “It’s easier than I thought it would be. It’s the little things that make it nice. I thought I would miss seeing new places and the thrill of the exotic, but the truth is I spent most of my time in front of my computer so I didn’t take advantage of it. Dallas is good. It’s hot, but I kind of enjoy it. I was born in North Carolina. I like to think the heat is my birthright. I was always so cold in Russia.” She bit back the need to shiver at the way she’d been torn from her mother. She forced herself to turn to pleasanter thoughts. “I like my place. It’s nice. I like this taco stand across from my building. I have no idea what kind of sauce they use but the beef tacos
Her anger deflated like she’d released a valve, and all the bad shit slowly leaked out in the face of his slumped shoulders. When she looked at it without the filter of her embarrassment, she really had been hard on him. It wasn’t his fault that he didn’t want her. It wasn’t exactly hers either. She’d always known he didn’t really want her. He had a hero complex and there was nothing wrong with that. “I’m sorry. I thought I could see what it felt like. I really didn’t mean to piss you off.”
“You don’t understand me at all.” He slumped into the kitchen table chair.
Probably not. She wasn’t good with people. It was why she should never have even tried. She’d spent most of her life hiding from people. Still, she couldn’t walk away. She picked up the discarded cloth and sat down across from him. His hand looked all right, just a few scrapes. “I don’t understand much of anything, Weston. Can I see your hand?”
He sighed and let her take his hand in hers.
She put the ice over it. “I know you’re not evil.” She’d seen pure evil and he didn’t even come close. “And I certainly don’t think of you as my brother.”
A long moment passed. He allowed her to hold the ice to his hand. His eyes finally found hers and she saw a deep weariness there. “Why the heavy pass, love? I wasn’t pushing you.”
Because he didn’t really want her. She’d misunderstood him. “It’s not your fault so don’t blame yourself. I guess I just got sick of being the virgin.”
His mouth turned down in a fierce frown. “Ah, so you’re curious.”
Only when it came to him. She was pretty sure she’d go back into her shell now. It was better than the alternative, which was finding anyone other than Simon. She didn’t want anyone but him and that might be her downfall. She latched on to anything but her humiliation. “Why did you go all berserker on the wall?”
He chuckled but it was a frustrated sound. “I think we can blame that on my unruly cock.”
So he wanted her, but he didn’t want to want her? Or he hated that he wanted her? She was confused about everything. It had all been one massive mistake. “I’m sorry.”
“Why are you a virgin?”
Oh, she so didn’t want to go into that with him. “I was busy with my amazing career of being the world’s information broker. Not a lot of time to hook up.”
He sighed. “Why can’t you ever be honest with me?”
“I am.” Partially. “The only person I trusted was Charlotte. Charlotte spent five years pining over Sat..Ian. There weren’t a ton of double dates. We kept to ourselves. I was on the run for most of my adult life. Charlotte and I were always on the move. We never stayed in any one place for more than a couple of months.”
His face softened as he continued to look at her. Something about the way he never looked away made her feel like the center of the damn planet. “Has settling down been hard?”
Something released inside her as his voice went back to normal. He was letting it go for now, thank god. She felt the weight of his hand in hers. She wished she didn’t like it so much. “It’s easier than I thought it would be. It’s the little things that make it nice. I thought I would miss seeing new places and the thrill of the exotic, but the truth is I spent most of my time in front of my computer so I didn’t take advantage of it. Dallas is good. It’s hot, but I kind of enjoy it. I was born in North Carolina. I like to think the heat is my birthright. I was always so cold in Russia.” She bit back the need to shiver at the way she’d been torn from her mother. She forced herself to turn to pleasanter thoughts. “I like my place. It’s nice. I like this taco stand across from my building. I have no idea what kind of sauce they use but the beef tacos
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