Read Online Fashioned for Power by Kathleen Brooks - Free Book Online Page B

proud of them. They outdid themselves. But, Finn, I only want to stay for a little while. There are things we need to talk about.”
    Finn nodded. He couldn’t speak. He knew what she was going to say. She was choosing Nate Reece.
     
    Finn sat back against the leather seat and closed his eyes. Allegra had been different all night. She’d been flustered, fake, and distracted. She was avoiding something—most likely him. When he heard the partition rise, he knew the speech was coming.
    “Go ahead. Say it,” Finn challenged her without opening his eyes.
    “I have this ex-boyfriend,” Allegra started to say before taking a deep breath. “He won’t leave me alone.”
    Finn’s eyes flew open, and he sat up in his seat. “Nate won’t leave you alone? I’ll kick his ass.”
    “No, Finn. It’s not Nate. I dated this guy named Harry Daniels. I met him online. When I met him in person he wasn’t anything like he was online, but I thought he was funny so I gave him a chance. We started dating and things were fine until we, um, had sex.”
    Finn swallowed the comment he was going to say. Allegra was clearly upset. She had started to shake. He needed to be supportive, not jealous and obsessive. “Go on, sweetheart.” He wrapped his arm around her, and she laid her head on his chest. He’d protect her. He’d take care of her. No matter what this asshole did.
    “He started slowly—telling me I was stupid, telling me I couldn’t do anything myself. That it was good he was there to tell me what to do or I’d likely kill myself. He said I was horrible in bed. I wasn’t sexy. I wasn’t even pretty. I became so self-conscious about everything I did, from what I wore, to my own designs, and even wondering if I was ordering pizza right.” Allegra let out a long breath. “I finally broke up with him. My sisters all said I told you so . They had been trying to get me to break up with him for months. So, my confidence couldn’t handle it when he started to stalk me. I was scared to go to my sisters. Between him and their I told you so’s , I felt worthless and stupid.”
    “What did you do?”
    “Nothing at first. But then I tried to meet with him and tell him it wasn’t going to happen. I told him we could be friends. All the usual lines.”
    Finn held back his comment about her being too nice. Her sisters had been right about that. He’d heard Elle talk to Bree about it many times. They worried she wouldn’t be able to stand up for herself. It was one of the reasons Finn had asked her if she wanted to join him to work out in the mornings. That, and he wanted to be near her.
    “About six months after we broke up and I had that talk with him, everything got better. He hadn’t called, hadn’t emailed, and no longer stopped by my house. I thought he’d moved on. That’s when you and I started going to the gym together and, um, working together more. It’s when I started falling for you. But then I started getting these anonymous texts and emails threatening me.”
    “How were they threatening?”
    “They said I was his and his alone. That I was a whore if I looked at another man, and he’d have to punish me if I left him. I was afraid of what he’d do. I was afraid he’d hurt you.”
    Finn fought the anger coursing through him and ran a gentle hand over her hair instead. She needed his support. “One asshole isn’t going to scare me away. I love you too much to just walk away.” This jackass had no idea the type of man Finn was—what he’d done, seen, and was prepared to do to keep the woman he loved safe.
    “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you before. I was embarrassed I couldn’t handle it on my own. I confronted Harry a month ago, and things have been quiet. But those flowers that were delivered to me this morning, they were from him. He called me a whore. He must have known you were with me. And then today, I received another note reminding me I was his. Somehow he knows I’ve moved on, and now