Read Online Make Me Believe: Unbelievable, Book 3 by Crystal Jordan - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Crystal Jordan
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small town, USA. Everyone knows everyone here. Give yourself another couple of years and you’ll adjust.”
“So, you grew up in Cedarville?”
Now there was an unintentionally loaded question. She shifted on the mattress, the springs squeaking under her. “More or less, yeah.”
“More or less?” His gaze rested on her, and she could feel the force of his curiosity, but she didn’t tend to talk about her past. Or her future. The present was the part that mattered.
“Yeah.” She hunched her shoulder, doing nothing to encourage this line of discussion.
Of course he didn’t take the hint. He nudged her arm. “What does that mean, exactly?”
“Why do you want to know?” She turned her head to meet his gaze head-on.
Green eyes narrowed, he studied her face for an uncomfortably long moment. “Because I want to know you.”
“All I’m willing to offer is sex, so that seems like a bad idea. I try not to borrow trouble.” Because it was going to turn up eventually, so why go looking for it? She’d rather not. “Apparently, I need to remind you—again—that we are not dating .”
“What, you’ve never had a friend with benefits? It might surprise you how fun it can be—we could end up somewhere good even if neither of us gets exactly what we want.”
“Oh.” How sad was it that she hadn’t even considered that option? When was the last time she’d been surprised by something good ? She couldn’t remember. She had things she’d worked her ass off for, but a nice gift from fate? Maybe never.
Letting a few beats of silence pass, he continued the conversation. “So…you sort of grew up in Cedarville, but not really? People here talk about you as if you’d been here your whole life.”
“Hardly.” She sighed, plucking at the edge of a pillowcase and debating whether she should tell him anything about her life. It would open the door for something she’d been trying to avoid for weeks—hell, the last year . Letting him in, even a little, was a scary thought. Then again, he could ask just about anyone in Cedarville and they’d tell him anything he wanted to know. They did know her here, her past, but as she’d told him, such was a life in a small town. “I stayed here with my aunt Grace during the summers. My mom passed away when I was fifteen, so I moved here and finished high school.”
“No dad?”
“He took off when I was about six.” She shrugged, a short laugh spilling out of her. “What can I say? Bad taste in men runs in the family. Aunt Grace was married five times, mom had just dumped number four before she died, and I’ve been hitched twice. Unfortunately.”
“What happened?” There was no judgment in his voice, no demand, which was the only reason she was willing to answer.
“The first one was my fault. After my mom passed, I went a little rebellious. My aunt was good to me, but she was strict and I didn’t want to listen to anyone or follow anyone’s rules.” She took a sip of her wine, letting the mellowness of it roll over her tongue. With any luck, it would take the edge off of the pain slicing through her. “I hooked up with the town bad boy, we eloped to Seattle, and three years later, he still wanted the sex, drugs and rock and roll lifestyle. I was too young and stupid to know what I wanted, but I knew it wasn’t that. So, I dumped him and enrolled in a community college for business and cosmetology.” That had been a rough time in her life. She’d stumbled through figuring out who she was, and she had the emotional scars to prove it. Her heart wrenched even thinking about it. “I worked my ass off, but it was the first time since my mom died that I felt like I wasn’t completely…lost.”
“I’m sorry.”
Just that. No outpouring of sympathy or censure because she’d been a dumb kid. It was comforting, and her chest warmed.
She offered him a lopsided smile. “Thanks. It was a long time ago.”
“His loss.” He reached over and ran a
“So, you grew up in Cedarville?”
Now there was an unintentionally loaded question. She shifted on the mattress, the springs squeaking under her. “More or less, yeah.”
“More or less?” His gaze rested on her, and she could feel the force of his curiosity, but she didn’t tend to talk about her past. Or her future. The present was the part that mattered.
“Yeah.” She hunched her shoulder, doing nothing to encourage this line of discussion.
Of course he didn’t take the hint. He nudged her arm. “What does that mean, exactly?”
“Why do you want to know?” She turned her head to meet his gaze head-on.
Green eyes narrowed, he studied her face for an uncomfortably long moment. “Because I want to know you.”
“All I’m willing to offer is sex, so that seems like a bad idea. I try not to borrow trouble.” Because it was going to turn up eventually, so why go looking for it? She’d rather not. “Apparently, I need to remind you—again—that we are not dating .”
“What, you’ve never had a friend with benefits? It might surprise you how fun it can be—we could end up somewhere good even if neither of us gets exactly what we want.”
“Oh.” How sad was it that she hadn’t even considered that option? When was the last time she’d been surprised by something good ? She couldn’t remember. She had things she’d worked her ass off for, but a nice gift from fate? Maybe never.
Letting a few beats of silence pass, he continued the conversation. “So…you sort of grew up in Cedarville, but not really? People here talk about you as if you’d been here your whole life.”
“Hardly.” She sighed, plucking at the edge of a pillowcase and debating whether she should tell him anything about her life. It would open the door for something she’d been trying to avoid for weeks—hell, the last year . Letting him in, even a little, was a scary thought. Then again, he could ask just about anyone in Cedarville and they’d tell him anything he wanted to know. They did know her here, her past, but as she’d told him, such was a life in a small town. “I stayed here with my aunt Grace during the summers. My mom passed away when I was fifteen, so I moved here and finished high school.”
“No dad?”
“He took off when I was about six.” She shrugged, a short laugh spilling out of her. “What can I say? Bad taste in men runs in the family. Aunt Grace was married five times, mom had just dumped number four before she died, and I’ve been hitched twice. Unfortunately.”
“What happened?” There was no judgment in his voice, no demand, which was the only reason she was willing to answer.
“The first one was my fault. After my mom passed, I went a little rebellious. My aunt was good to me, but she was strict and I didn’t want to listen to anyone or follow anyone’s rules.” She took a sip of her wine, letting the mellowness of it roll over her tongue. With any luck, it would take the edge off of the pain slicing through her. “I hooked up with the town bad boy, we eloped to Seattle, and three years later, he still wanted the sex, drugs and rock and roll lifestyle. I was too young and stupid to know what I wanted, but I knew it wasn’t that. So, I dumped him and enrolled in a community college for business and cosmetology.” That had been a rough time in her life. She’d stumbled through figuring out who she was, and she had the emotional scars to prove it. Her heart wrenched even thinking about it. “I worked my ass off, but it was the first time since my mom died that I felt like I wasn’t completely…lost.”
“I’m sorry.”
Just that. No outpouring of sympathy or censure because she’d been a dumb kid. It was comforting, and her chest warmed.
She offered him a lopsided smile. “Thanks. It was a long time ago.”
“His loss.” He reached over and ran a
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