Read Online Don't Blackmail the Vampire by Tiffany Allee - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Tiffany Allee
Ads: Link
on a wall in front of where Kristen ran.
“Hey,” Rachel called to her.
Kristen glanced at her, then slowed her treadmill to a stop. “Hey yourself,” she said, breathless.
“Can we talk?”
Kristen grabbed a small towel hanging from the treadmill bar and wiped her face with it. “You are relentless.”
“It’s one of my few redeeming qualities.”
Kristen grinned. “I’d say the opposite, but whatever.” Her smile faded into a hard expression. “You’re not talking me out of this. I think you know that.”
“He isn’t worth—”
“Stop it.”
“I know that you have this romantic view of him in your head, but he’s never going to make you happy. You deserve better.”
Her sister suddenly looked exhausted, and for the briefest of moments, a glimmer of something—recognition, maybe—flashed in her eyes. Then they were hard again. Closed off.
“You say that I’m the one with the romanticized view, but you’re the one who doesn’t have a handle on reality.”
It felt like she’d been slapped. She’d known to expect backlash, but she hadn’t expected this. “What?”
“Real relationships are tough, Rachel. They’re not always fun and they’re not always clean.” She swallowed hard. “You don’t get to live the dream unless you’re willing to work for it. That’s as true in love as it is in everything else in life.”
Rachel gaped, not sure how to counter an argument she almost agreed with. “It shouldn’t be that hard. And both people should be working on it, not just one.”
Kristen squeezed the towel, her perfectly manicured fingernails digging into the fabric, and shook her head. “I’m done talking about this. Leave it alone. I can’t have someone in my life who is always trying to sabotage me.”
Her chest tightened and she couldn’t get enough air. “But—“
“Do you want us to be the kind of sisters who only see each other at Christmas? Who like each other’s pictures on Facebook but never talk about anything real? Never go to lunch or talk about the men in their lives? Never connect?” Her voice broke and she glanced away. “Because that’s what you’re pushing us toward.”
She had to get a grip on this. Reach her sister somehow. The idea of never seeing her—of not being part of her life—wasn’t something Rachel could wrap her mind around. If she didn’t have her sister, she didn’t have anyone.
“I know that Dad—”
“Enough!” Kristen stalked past her, then stopped at the door, but didn’t turn around. “Enough, Rachel. Please.”
The door shut almost silently behind her.
She sat heavily on the end of the treadmill her sister had just been running on. Tears pushed against the back of her throat, but wouldn’t come. Numbness settled over her.
And that was how the vampire found her.
The door to the workout room clicked shut behind him, and he approached her slowly. She didn’t look up from where she cradled her jaw and stared at the floor.
“You have the worst timing ever,” she muttered. Why did he always have to find her at her most miserable? God. It was like he sought her out at her weakest to bother her.
He squatted in front of her so they were the same height, balancing on the balls of his feet, a position that most men—most humans, she mentally amended—would quickly find uncomfortable, but it didn’t seem to bother the vampire.
“You want to talk about it?”
Mind your own damn business was on the tip of her tongue, but she bit back the words. He was being nice—even if she couldn’t be sure whether it was an act. Biting his head off for it felt wrong. And it would be for the wrong reasons, anyway. Because he’d confused her with that kiss.
“I’m a good listener.”
She wouldn’t bet on it. But he was an impartial listener, wasn’t he? Maybe that was even better. “She just—” Her voice caught and she swallowed hard. “Kristen made it clear how she felt about my meddling. God—it is meddling,
“Hey,” Rachel called to her.
Kristen glanced at her, then slowed her treadmill to a stop. “Hey yourself,” she said, breathless.
“Can we talk?”
Kristen grabbed a small towel hanging from the treadmill bar and wiped her face with it. “You are relentless.”
“It’s one of my few redeeming qualities.”
Kristen grinned. “I’d say the opposite, but whatever.” Her smile faded into a hard expression. “You’re not talking me out of this. I think you know that.”
“He isn’t worth—”
“Stop it.”
“I know that you have this romantic view of him in your head, but he’s never going to make you happy. You deserve better.”
Her sister suddenly looked exhausted, and for the briefest of moments, a glimmer of something—recognition, maybe—flashed in her eyes. Then they were hard again. Closed off.
“You say that I’m the one with the romanticized view, but you’re the one who doesn’t have a handle on reality.”
It felt like she’d been slapped. She’d known to expect backlash, but she hadn’t expected this. “What?”
“Real relationships are tough, Rachel. They’re not always fun and they’re not always clean.” She swallowed hard. “You don’t get to live the dream unless you’re willing to work for it. That’s as true in love as it is in everything else in life.”
Rachel gaped, not sure how to counter an argument she almost agreed with. “It shouldn’t be that hard. And both people should be working on it, not just one.”
Kristen squeezed the towel, her perfectly manicured fingernails digging into the fabric, and shook her head. “I’m done talking about this. Leave it alone. I can’t have someone in my life who is always trying to sabotage me.”
Her chest tightened and she couldn’t get enough air. “But—“
“Do you want us to be the kind of sisters who only see each other at Christmas? Who like each other’s pictures on Facebook but never talk about anything real? Never go to lunch or talk about the men in their lives? Never connect?” Her voice broke and she glanced away. “Because that’s what you’re pushing us toward.”
She had to get a grip on this. Reach her sister somehow. The idea of never seeing her—of not being part of her life—wasn’t something Rachel could wrap her mind around. If she didn’t have her sister, she didn’t have anyone.
“I know that Dad—”
“Enough!” Kristen stalked past her, then stopped at the door, but didn’t turn around. “Enough, Rachel. Please.”
The door shut almost silently behind her.
She sat heavily on the end of the treadmill her sister had just been running on. Tears pushed against the back of her throat, but wouldn’t come. Numbness settled over her.
And that was how the vampire found her.
The door to the workout room clicked shut behind him, and he approached her slowly. She didn’t look up from where she cradled her jaw and stared at the floor.
“You have the worst timing ever,” she muttered. Why did he always have to find her at her most miserable? God. It was like he sought her out at her weakest to bother her.
He squatted in front of her so they were the same height, balancing on the balls of his feet, a position that most men—most humans, she mentally amended—would quickly find uncomfortable, but it didn’t seem to bother the vampire.
“You want to talk about it?”
Mind your own damn business was on the tip of her tongue, but she bit back the words. He was being nice—even if she couldn’t be sure whether it was an act. Biting his head off for it felt wrong. And it would be for the wrong reasons, anyway. Because he’d confused her with that kiss.
“I’m a good listener.”
She wouldn’t bet on it. But he was an impartial listener, wasn’t he? Maybe that was even better. “She just—” Her voice caught and she swallowed hard. “Kristen made it clear how she felt about my meddling. God—it is meddling,
Similar Books
