Read Online Snowbound with the Biker (Holiday Encounters Book 2) by Amy Lamont - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Amy Lamont
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me before why my friends and I played pranks on your father.”
He flicked his eyes toward me, but showed not one iota of interest in any other way. My hands clenched at my sides as I braced myself.
“It was my idea,” I said. “I’d been planning it for a while, but didn’t think I’d ever have the nerve to go through with any of it.”
He stilled for a long moment and then he put the fireplace poker back in the stand. He turned to face me, crossing his arms over his chest. His expression didn’t give anything away. “Did my dad do something to piss you off?”
I knew what he was asking. He thought I planned it because his dad scolded me for walking on his lawn or throwing a ball over their fence. But I’d play along.
“Yeah, he did something that pissed me off.” I pulled in a deep breath. “Did you ever hear anything that went on over at our house?”
He raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, when you were at home, did you ever hear something like Logan and I screaming at each other or my dad giving Logan hell for leaving his tools all over the garage?”
Hunter’s brows crinkled and he dropped his arms. For one second, he lost his hard edge and looked so adorably confused, I had to fight the urge to go to him and smooth my fingers over the furrow.
He shook his head a little, but answered as I expected him to. “Yeah, I guess, sometimes I heard those kinds of things.”
“Me, too. I mean, with you and your family.” I moved restlessly and folded my arms loosely around my middle. “Sometimes I heard your dad yelling at you.”
My voice came out as no more than a whisper, but he heard me. His body tensed. Every muscle looked rigid, like he was cut from stone. The only movement he made was a flexing of his jaw.
“You heard my father yelling at me.” His voice came out gritty and cold like he’d pulled the words from somewhere deep inside.
I nodded and wrapped my arms more tightly around myself. I wanted to end this right here. I could spare him the embarrassment of knowing all his father’s harshest criticisms carried across our yards, and I could spare myself the humiliation of admitting my feelings and having him stomp on my heart.
But the look on his face, a combination of anger and something else, made me go on. The last thing I wanted to do was leave him feeling raw and humiliated. Even if it meant I had to feel those things.
“I always got so angry when I heard your dad yell at you. But I figured it was for the usual stuff.” I shrugged. “You know, leaving your bicycle in the driveway or forgetting to take out the trash.”
“Oh, I’m sure I got yelled at for both of those things over the years,” he said, his voice icy.
I nodded. “As we got older, it didn’t seem like your dad needed that much of an excuse to start in on you. He always managed to find something.”
His eyes flashed, but he didn’t say a word.
I dropped my gaze to the floor between us, unable to meet his eyes while I admitted the next part. “Anyway, I got more and more angry. I’d lay in bed and hear him and start concocting ways to get revenge for you.”
“What?” The single word was strangled as if it fought its way out of him.
My eyes flew to meet his and I swallowed hard. “I never actually had the nerve to do anything. Of course, if I did a few of the things I came up with, I might have been carted off in handcuffs.”
His arms dropped and he took a step forward. “Katelyn…”
I shrugged. “He pissed me off. I hated the things he said to you.” I stared into his eyes before I went on fiercely, “And he was wrong. You know that, right? All that shit he spewed about you? I think he was jealous. You were so good at everything and he was just so ordinary. He must have wondered how he managed to have a son like you.”
“Oh, I’m sure he did,” he said, the sarcasm hard to miss. “One of his favorite themes was how he managed to produce such a fuck up.”
I shook my
He flicked his eyes toward me, but showed not one iota of interest in any other way. My hands clenched at my sides as I braced myself.
“It was my idea,” I said. “I’d been planning it for a while, but didn’t think I’d ever have the nerve to go through with any of it.”
He stilled for a long moment and then he put the fireplace poker back in the stand. He turned to face me, crossing his arms over his chest. His expression didn’t give anything away. “Did my dad do something to piss you off?”
I knew what he was asking. He thought I planned it because his dad scolded me for walking on his lawn or throwing a ball over their fence. But I’d play along.
“Yeah, he did something that pissed me off.” I pulled in a deep breath. “Did you ever hear anything that went on over at our house?”
He raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, when you were at home, did you ever hear something like Logan and I screaming at each other or my dad giving Logan hell for leaving his tools all over the garage?”
Hunter’s brows crinkled and he dropped his arms. For one second, he lost his hard edge and looked so adorably confused, I had to fight the urge to go to him and smooth my fingers over the furrow.
He shook his head a little, but answered as I expected him to. “Yeah, I guess, sometimes I heard those kinds of things.”
“Me, too. I mean, with you and your family.” I moved restlessly and folded my arms loosely around my middle. “Sometimes I heard your dad yelling at you.”
My voice came out as no more than a whisper, but he heard me. His body tensed. Every muscle looked rigid, like he was cut from stone. The only movement he made was a flexing of his jaw.
“You heard my father yelling at me.” His voice came out gritty and cold like he’d pulled the words from somewhere deep inside.
I nodded and wrapped my arms more tightly around myself. I wanted to end this right here. I could spare him the embarrassment of knowing all his father’s harshest criticisms carried across our yards, and I could spare myself the humiliation of admitting my feelings and having him stomp on my heart.
But the look on his face, a combination of anger and something else, made me go on. The last thing I wanted to do was leave him feeling raw and humiliated. Even if it meant I had to feel those things.
“I always got so angry when I heard your dad yell at you. But I figured it was for the usual stuff.” I shrugged. “You know, leaving your bicycle in the driveway or forgetting to take out the trash.”
“Oh, I’m sure I got yelled at for both of those things over the years,” he said, his voice icy.
I nodded. “As we got older, it didn’t seem like your dad needed that much of an excuse to start in on you. He always managed to find something.”
His eyes flashed, but he didn’t say a word.
I dropped my gaze to the floor between us, unable to meet his eyes while I admitted the next part. “Anyway, I got more and more angry. I’d lay in bed and hear him and start concocting ways to get revenge for you.”
“What?” The single word was strangled as if it fought its way out of him.
My eyes flew to meet his and I swallowed hard. “I never actually had the nerve to do anything. Of course, if I did a few of the things I came up with, I might have been carted off in handcuffs.”
His arms dropped and he took a step forward. “Katelyn…”
I shrugged. “He pissed me off. I hated the things he said to you.” I stared into his eyes before I went on fiercely, “And he was wrong. You know that, right? All that shit he spewed about you? I think he was jealous. You were so good at everything and he was just so ordinary. He must have wondered how he managed to have a son like you.”
“Oh, I’m sure he did,” he said, the sarcasm hard to miss. “One of his favorite themes was how he managed to produce such a fuck up.”
I shook my
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