Read Online Dare To Love Series: Daring Ink (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Avery Flynn - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Avery Flynn
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money, but she’d never let him see us. She told him it would just confuse us. But after we graduated high school, Paul must have figured all bets were off. He managed to track my brother Copper and I down, but didn’t make a move to meet us. Instead, he worked some back channels to get me accepted to art school here. Copper ended up at a university with the best engineering program in the country. For me, getting that acceptance letter to art school with a full scholarship was like winning the lottery.”
She still had that letter in the back of a filing cabinet in her office at Daring Ink. The scholarship had been a lie, she’d found out later. Paul had paid for it all and arranged for her application to end up on the top of the pile. He may have gotten her in, but she’d been the one to earn her degree.
“I didn’t know a thing about Paul until after I graduated and started Daring Ink. He just showed up on my doorstep one day and told me who he was, and what he’d done. He said he didn’t want to pressure me into a relationship but he had hope I would someday. Then he said I had the Dare head for business and that if I ever needed anything, all I had to do was call. After he left, I confronted my mom on the phone. It wasn’t pretty.” Now that was the understatement of the year. Sawyer pointed right. She made the turn into a neighborhood of bungalows familiar enough to give her deja vu. “She admitted to everything and that’s how I learned the lesson that even the people you love the most—the ones you trust the most—will lie to you without flinching. Now if that can’t turn a girl into an untrusting commitment-phobe, I don’t know what will.”
“I’m sorry.” He laid his hand on her thigh and gave her a quick squeeze. “But maybe I can help change your mind about boyfriends.”
The underlying buzz of attraction was there, but it was the warm comfort of having someone beside her that flooded through her. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed it until that moment. After finding out about her mom’s lies, she’d pushed everyone away and focused only on Daring Ink because work never betrayed her. But now, with Sawyer, things felt different…better…hopeful.
She put her hand on top of his. “Maybe you already have.”
“Best news I’ve heard all day.” His phone beeped and he looked down at the glowing screen. “We’re close.”
The windows in the bungalows lining the street were dark—except for one. Penny’s stomach sank. She knew that house. Knew its chipped paint on the front porch and the bucket of sand stuffed with cigarette butts near the front door. She’d only been here once, when Chase had needed a ride home late one night.
She slowed down and parked in front of his house. Anger, hurt and disappointment beat against her with hurricane-wind strength.
Sawyer looked up. “How did you know we were here?”
“Your gut was right.” She shoved back the emotions whirling around inside of her. None of it would help. The only way to get through this was not to care at all. She opened her door. “It’s Chase’s house. Come on, let’s get this over with.”
The short walk to the front door felt like a mile and each step up the front porch was a mountain. God she hated this. She hated herself for getting hurt, yet again, because she’d misplaced her trust. When would she learn?
Chase opened the door before she even had a chance to knock.
“Hey boss, what’s up?” His voice was cheerful but his gaze darted all over the place, never landing on her.
“Cut the crap. I know.” She crossed her arms. “Give me the portfolio.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The jittery body language intensified as he rocked on his heels and he fidgeted with his hands.
“Yes, you do,” she snapped. “You’ve been inking my designs on other people. Sawyer’s cop instinct led him right to you but I never thought it would be true.”
A flush ate its way up
She still had that letter in the back of a filing cabinet in her office at Daring Ink. The scholarship had been a lie, she’d found out later. Paul had paid for it all and arranged for her application to end up on the top of the pile. He may have gotten her in, but she’d been the one to earn her degree.
“I didn’t know a thing about Paul until after I graduated and started Daring Ink. He just showed up on my doorstep one day and told me who he was, and what he’d done. He said he didn’t want to pressure me into a relationship but he had hope I would someday. Then he said I had the Dare head for business and that if I ever needed anything, all I had to do was call. After he left, I confronted my mom on the phone. It wasn’t pretty.” Now that was the understatement of the year. Sawyer pointed right. She made the turn into a neighborhood of bungalows familiar enough to give her deja vu. “She admitted to everything and that’s how I learned the lesson that even the people you love the most—the ones you trust the most—will lie to you without flinching. Now if that can’t turn a girl into an untrusting commitment-phobe, I don’t know what will.”
“I’m sorry.” He laid his hand on her thigh and gave her a quick squeeze. “But maybe I can help change your mind about boyfriends.”
The underlying buzz of attraction was there, but it was the warm comfort of having someone beside her that flooded through her. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed it until that moment. After finding out about her mom’s lies, she’d pushed everyone away and focused only on Daring Ink because work never betrayed her. But now, with Sawyer, things felt different…better…hopeful.
She put her hand on top of his. “Maybe you already have.”
“Best news I’ve heard all day.” His phone beeped and he looked down at the glowing screen. “We’re close.”
The windows in the bungalows lining the street were dark—except for one. Penny’s stomach sank. She knew that house. Knew its chipped paint on the front porch and the bucket of sand stuffed with cigarette butts near the front door. She’d only been here once, when Chase had needed a ride home late one night.
She slowed down and parked in front of his house. Anger, hurt and disappointment beat against her with hurricane-wind strength.
Sawyer looked up. “How did you know we were here?”
“Your gut was right.” She shoved back the emotions whirling around inside of her. None of it would help. The only way to get through this was not to care at all. She opened her door. “It’s Chase’s house. Come on, let’s get this over with.”
The short walk to the front door felt like a mile and each step up the front porch was a mountain. God she hated this. She hated herself for getting hurt, yet again, because she’d misplaced her trust. When would she learn?
Chase opened the door before she even had a chance to knock.
“Hey boss, what’s up?” His voice was cheerful but his gaze darted all over the place, never landing on her.
“Cut the crap. I know.” She crossed her arms. “Give me the portfolio.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The jittery body language intensified as he rocked on his heels and he fidgeted with his hands.
“Yes, you do,” she snapped. “You’ve been inking my designs on other people. Sawyer’s cop instinct led him right to you but I never thought it would be true.”
A flush ate its way up
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