Read Online Claire (Hart University Book 2) by Abigail Strom - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Abigail Strom
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water.
“Thanks,” I said after I swallowed the pills. “If this is your bedside manner you’re going to be a great doctor someday.”
She grinned at me. “Well, I—”
There was a knock on the door. Before I could say anything it opened, and my new friend Brittany was standing in the doorway with another girl. This one was dark-haired and curvy, and her breasts, like Brittany’s, were straining against the material of her Panthers T-shirt. It was just automatic when my eyes went there, and when I jerked my gaze back up to her face she was smiling.
“Hi,” Brittany said cheerfully, glancing briefly at Claire before disregarding her completely. “This is my friend Nicole. We came to drag you down to the party. You are coming, right?”
A minute before, I’d felt like a million bucks. Maybe Claire really did have a magical healing touch, or maybe it was something else. But every second her hands were on my body felt like the best thing that had ever happened to me.
Now I felt pissed off and guilty at the same time, as if I’d been caught doing something I shouldn’t.
I looked at Claire to see what she was thinking. Maybe I could figure out if she’d felt anything when she touched me… anything like what I’d felt for her.
But there was no conflicting emotion in her expression. She was just pissed.
She walked over to Brittany and Nicole and stood with her hands on her hips. “He’ll be down in a few minutes. He has to finish icing his bruise first.”
Brittany seemed pissed, too. “What are you, his nurse? Or his wannabe girlfriend?”
“Neither one,” Claire said, grabbing the doorknob. “I’m just a friend. The kind of friend who thinks taking care of an injury is important.”
She started to close the door, basically forcing Brittany and Nicole to back up or push past her. They chose to back up, and Claire shut the door in their faces.
Then she locked it.
“There,” she said in satisfaction, turning to face me with her arms folded. “That should give you a few minutes of peace.”
I looked back at her. She seemed so fierce and protective… even more now than when she was patching me up.
But was it the protectiveness a girl felt for a guy she wanted to be with, or the protectiveness a friend felt for another friend?
“Will,” she said, sounding like she’d come to a decision.
God, I hoped it was the kind of decision I could get behind.
“Yeah?”
“I want to fix you up with someone.”
I blinked. “What?”
She nodded several times. “Definitely. I mean, otherwise you’re going to end up hooking up with someone like—” She gestured toward the door. “Someone who’s only into you because you’re a star quarterback.”
Okay, that bruised my ego a little. “That’s the only reason you could imagine someone being into me?”
She frowned. “Of course not. That’s not what I meant. It’s just that you should be with someone worthwhile. Someone who can appreciate all of you. Not just the football stuff and your—” Now she gestured at me.
I raised an eyebrow. “My what?”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t fish for compliments. Will you let me fix you up, or what?”
“I can find my own dates, Claire.”
“You mean like those two Pantherettes?”
“They seemed like very nice girls,” I said judiciously.
Claire glared at me suspiciously for a second, and then she relaxed.
“You’re making fun of me.”
“You’re making it easy.”
She leaned back against the closed door. “Yeah, okay, I guess I am. Sorry. Are you telling me it’s none of my business?”
I shook my head. “I’m just telling you I can find my own dates.”
“Fine. Just… not the Pantherettes.”
“What if one of them turns out to be—”
“They won’t.”
“How do you know?”
“I just do.”
I could have done more teasing on the subject, but the truth was, it made me happy that Claire cared enough to criticize two girls who’d flirted with me. I wanted to keep
“Thanks,” I said after I swallowed the pills. “If this is your bedside manner you’re going to be a great doctor someday.”
She grinned at me. “Well, I—”
There was a knock on the door. Before I could say anything it opened, and my new friend Brittany was standing in the doorway with another girl. This one was dark-haired and curvy, and her breasts, like Brittany’s, were straining against the material of her Panthers T-shirt. It was just automatic when my eyes went there, and when I jerked my gaze back up to her face she was smiling.
“Hi,” Brittany said cheerfully, glancing briefly at Claire before disregarding her completely. “This is my friend Nicole. We came to drag you down to the party. You are coming, right?”
A minute before, I’d felt like a million bucks. Maybe Claire really did have a magical healing touch, or maybe it was something else. But every second her hands were on my body felt like the best thing that had ever happened to me.
Now I felt pissed off and guilty at the same time, as if I’d been caught doing something I shouldn’t.
I looked at Claire to see what she was thinking. Maybe I could figure out if she’d felt anything when she touched me… anything like what I’d felt for her.
But there was no conflicting emotion in her expression. She was just pissed.
She walked over to Brittany and Nicole and stood with her hands on her hips. “He’ll be down in a few minutes. He has to finish icing his bruise first.”
Brittany seemed pissed, too. “What are you, his nurse? Or his wannabe girlfriend?”
“Neither one,” Claire said, grabbing the doorknob. “I’m just a friend. The kind of friend who thinks taking care of an injury is important.”
She started to close the door, basically forcing Brittany and Nicole to back up or push past her. They chose to back up, and Claire shut the door in their faces.
Then she locked it.
“There,” she said in satisfaction, turning to face me with her arms folded. “That should give you a few minutes of peace.”
I looked back at her. She seemed so fierce and protective… even more now than when she was patching me up.
But was it the protectiveness a girl felt for a guy she wanted to be with, or the protectiveness a friend felt for another friend?
“Will,” she said, sounding like she’d come to a decision.
God, I hoped it was the kind of decision I could get behind.
“Yeah?”
“I want to fix you up with someone.”
I blinked. “What?”
She nodded several times. “Definitely. I mean, otherwise you’re going to end up hooking up with someone like—” She gestured toward the door. “Someone who’s only into you because you’re a star quarterback.”
Okay, that bruised my ego a little. “That’s the only reason you could imagine someone being into me?”
She frowned. “Of course not. That’s not what I meant. It’s just that you should be with someone worthwhile. Someone who can appreciate all of you. Not just the football stuff and your—” Now she gestured at me.
I raised an eyebrow. “My what?”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t fish for compliments. Will you let me fix you up, or what?”
“I can find my own dates, Claire.”
“You mean like those two Pantherettes?”
“They seemed like very nice girls,” I said judiciously.
Claire glared at me suspiciously for a second, and then she relaxed.
“You’re making fun of me.”
“You’re making it easy.”
She leaned back against the closed door. “Yeah, okay, I guess I am. Sorry. Are you telling me it’s none of my business?”
I shook my head. “I’m just telling you I can find my own dates.”
“Fine. Just… not the Pantherettes.”
“What if one of them turns out to be—”
“They won’t.”
“How do you know?”
“I just do.”
I could have done more teasing on the subject, but the truth was, it made me happy that Claire cared enough to criticize two girls who’d flirted with me. I wanted to keep
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