Read Online Fantasy Boyfriend #2 (A Tattooed Bad Boy Romance) by Vanessa Stone - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Vanessa Stone
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the
I-don’t-care-what-happens attitude? I lifted an eyebrow, indicating that I was
open to what he had to say.
"Jessica, I want to apologize for the way I've
been acting lately."
You could've knocked me over with a feather. I was
incredibly surprised. What? Actual human feelings coming out of this guy
standing in front of me? The one who behaved so callously toward others? I said
nothing, knowing that he would fill the silence.
"I do apologize for the way I've treated you.
Sometimes, when I feel awkward or unsure how things are going, I tend to do
that-"
"Do what, Luke?" I asked coolly.
"Embarrass and humiliate women? Use them for your pleasure and then ignore
them?" That was kind of harsh, but there was a part of me that just had to
get that out.
He nodded slowly. "Sometimes I use women to make
myself feel better. I don't know why, and I'm not condoning it, I'm just trying
to explain it to you." He paused, glanced up, and then stared off down the
street as if something in the distance interested him.
I didn't follow his gaze, knowing that he was probably
embarrassed to be standing here in front of me talking like this. What had
prompted it? And how could someone so confident, so handsome, and as
charismatic as Luke Bradford get the feeling that he had to use women to make
himself feel better? Feel better about what? I was tempted. The question
blurted out of me before I could stop myself. "What do you need to feel
better about, Luke?"
He looked up, offered a lame shrug, and then muttered
a reply. I couldn't believe it. He was acting like dog that had done a bad
thing and come up to its master to request forgiveness, right down to the puppy
dog eyes. What the hell? This wasn't the Luke I knew. This was an uncertain and
conflicted young man. A part of me wanted to reach out and give him a hug, tell
them all was forgiven. Another part of me, the one who had been callously
dumped and talked about, wanted to make them squirm a bit. "I don't
understand, Luke."
He shook his head. "I like you, I really
do-"
"You could've fooled me," I said.
"After our first date you didn't so much as make an effort to reach out to
speak to me. Not only that, you snubbed me, Luke. Did you know that gossip has
been floating around school? And then, to top it off, I see you with two or
three different women, acting as if that's perfectly acceptable behavior? And
now you're on my doorstep, wanting me to do what? Forgive you? For using me?
For spreading rumors about me-"
He glanced up sharply. "I didn't spread any
rumors about you," he said, shaking his head, eyes wide with surprise.
"In fact, I didn't even tell anybody that we'd gone out."
I rolled my eyes. "Be that as it may, people have
been talking about me. And you. And what we did."
"They knew we went to the woods?"
I hesitated. "Well, not exactly, but they did
know that you took me to the sushi restaurant and we made out there, and then
there was gossip that later on…well, you know."
He frowned. "I'm really sorry about that,
Jessica," he said. “Really, I am. I'm not too good with relationships, as
if you couldn't tell, and anyway, I just came here to apologize. I'm sorry if I
hurt you, and it won't happen again. I promise."
He stood there in front of me, shuffling his foot
against the ancient wood of the porch. For a second, I felt a twinge of
sympathy. However, I wanted to get to the bottom of this. Did he like me or
not? And if he did, what was it that compelled him to behave the way he did? If
we were to have any kind of a relationship I had to get this dealt with.
Otherwise, I certainly wasn't going to put myself through the torture of this
on-again off-again surge of feelings that I felt toward him.
"Well, I guess I better be going-"
I reached for the door and opened it, pushing it
gently inward. Gone was the confidence he usually conveyed, the arrogance that
he could do no wrong that was coupled with his formerly reckless attitude.
"You want to come inside for a
I-don’t-care-what-happens attitude? I lifted an eyebrow, indicating that I was
open to what he had to say.
"Jessica, I want to apologize for the way I've
been acting lately."
You could've knocked me over with a feather. I was
incredibly surprised. What? Actual human feelings coming out of this guy
standing in front of me? The one who behaved so callously toward others? I said
nothing, knowing that he would fill the silence.
"I do apologize for the way I've treated you.
Sometimes, when I feel awkward or unsure how things are going, I tend to do
that-"
"Do what, Luke?" I asked coolly.
"Embarrass and humiliate women? Use them for your pleasure and then ignore
them?" That was kind of harsh, but there was a part of me that just had to
get that out.
He nodded slowly. "Sometimes I use women to make
myself feel better. I don't know why, and I'm not condoning it, I'm just trying
to explain it to you." He paused, glanced up, and then stared off down the
street as if something in the distance interested him.
I didn't follow his gaze, knowing that he was probably
embarrassed to be standing here in front of me talking like this. What had
prompted it? And how could someone so confident, so handsome, and as
charismatic as Luke Bradford get the feeling that he had to use women to make
himself feel better? Feel better about what? I was tempted. The question
blurted out of me before I could stop myself. "What do you need to feel
better about, Luke?"
He looked up, offered a lame shrug, and then muttered
a reply. I couldn't believe it. He was acting like dog that had done a bad
thing and come up to its master to request forgiveness, right down to the puppy
dog eyes. What the hell? This wasn't the Luke I knew. This was an uncertain and
conflicted young man. A part of me wanted to reach out and give him a hug, tell
them all was forgiven. Another part of me, the one who had been callously
dumped and talked about, wanted to make them squirm a bit. "I don't
understand, Luke."
He shook his head. "I like you, I really
do-"
"You could've fooled me," I said.
"After our first date you didn't so much as make an effort to reach out to
speak to me. Not only that, you snubbed me, Luke. Did you know that gossip has
been floating around school? And then, to top it off, I see you with two or
three different women, acting as if that's perfectly acceptable behavior? And
now you're on my doorstep, wanting me to do what? Forgive you? For using me?
For spreading rumors about me-"
He glanced up sharply. "I didn't spread any
rumors about you," he said, shaking his head, eyes wide with surprise.
"In fact, I didn't even tell anybody that we'd gone out."
I rolled my eyes. "Be that as it may, people have
been talking about me. And you. And what we did."
"They knew we went to the woods?"
I hesitated. "Well, not exactly, but they did
know that you took me to the sushi restaurant and we made out there, and then
there was gossip that later on…well, you know."
He frowned. "I'm really sorry about that,
Jessica," he said. “Really, I am. I'm not too good with relationships, as
if you couldn't tell, and anyway, I just came here to apologize. I'm sorry if I
hurt you, and it won't happen again. I promise."
He stood there in front of me, shuffling his foot
against the ancient wood of the porch. For a second, I felt a twinge of
sympathy. However, I wanted to get to the bottom of this. Did he like me or
not? And if he did, what was it that compelled him to behave the way he did? If
we were to have any kind of a relationship I had to get this dealt with.
Otherwise, I certainly wasn't going to put myself through the torture of this
on-again off-again surge of feelings that I felt toward him.
"Well, I guess I better be going-"
I reached for the door and opened it, pushing it
gently inward. Gone was the confidence he usually conveyed, the arrogance that
he could do no wrong that was coupled with his formerly reckless attitude.
"You want to come inside for a
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