Read Online Solid Muscle (Unseen Enemy Book 5) by Marysol James - Free Book Online
Authors: Marysol James
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she’d physically cringed at the thought of her Walmart cotton panties degrading the perfect, hand-stitched lining. Thank God she was going to get some decent clothes the next day; she needed clothing worthy of Louis Vuitton.
“Uh-huh.” Chantal shifted on her feet. “You gonna be able to handle that?”
“Handle what?”
“Him. Being around him.”
“Of course I will, Mom. I did before.”
“Sure. And then you came back from Oregon all moony-eyed and distracted like a teenaged girl with a crush.”
“I did not!”
Chantal rolled her eyes. “Why are you lying to your mother?”
“Why are you going on and on about this?” Cordelia decided that the best defense in this case was a good offense. “It’s just work.”
“Oh, my God.”
“What?”
“It’s not ‘just’ anything and you know it and I know it. Hunter is special and the more you deny it, the less I believe it.”
It was hopeless, Cordelia knew. Chantal wasn’t going to stop and she wasn’t going to back down. Cordelia sighed, fessed up.
“OK, Mom, OK.” She bit her lip. “He’s – he’s something special, alright? But it goes one way only, believe me.”
“How’s that?”
“You remember Bobby Corbett? Back in high school?”
Chantal cocked her head. “Uh… football player? You tutored him in math sometimes?”
“Yep. He came up to me after math class one day all sweet and smiling, begged me for my notes. I gave them to him and then he begged me for some extra help.”
“Yeah. And?”
“So I helped him. Soon we were studying every day after school and he flirted like crazy and hinted at maybe asking me to the prom and maybe going out together for real. Remember all this?”
“Sure.”
“So then you remember what happened next, right? He got me to basically carry him through math that year and kick up his GPA to secure that football scholarship. He led me on and teased me to keep me happy, and the second he got that final test mark, I was a stranger to him. He stopped talking to me, cut off all contact, didn’t even look at me in the hallway.”
“What’s this got to do with Hunter?”
“Hunter Sullivan’s nice to me when I serve a purpose… as soon as that purpose is done, so is our contact.”
Chantal stared at her, dumbfounded. “I don’t believe that.”
“Well, you should.”
“Why should I? You don’t.”
She paused. “Yes, I do.”
“Lying to me again,” Chantal huffed. “Which is fine, but don’t you dare lie to yourself, girl. You don’t think Hunter’s an asshole so stop saying you do.”
Cordelia looked away.
“Now, you do think he’s capable of hurting you and that part I actually agree with.”
Cordelia looked back. “You do?”
“Yeah. I’ve seen you with other men, honey, and none of them have gotten to you the way that he has. You’ve dated and spent time but you haven’t let anybody in… not really. But Hunter Sullivan got in – maybe just a tiny bit, but he did – and then he turned all cold and distant and that hurt you. I think it even surprised you that it hurt you.”
“Yeah,” Cordelia admitted quietly. “Yeah, it did hurt and it did surprise me.”
“So I’m asking again: you gonna be able to handle this?”
“I have to, Mom. This whole thing that I’m doing is about something big… bigger than anything else.”
“You can’t tell me?”
“No, I can’t. I’m sorry. But trust me, OK? When I get in to the op for real, just about the last thing on my mind will be Hunter Sullivan blowing hot and cold.”
“Yeah?”
Cordelia thought about those babies and small kids taken from their families, held in hidden places until some rich couple swanned on in and chose them, like a side of beef or a pair of shoes. Like these kids were commodities or possessions; like they were things to own just because a person had money.
“Yes.” Her voice was steady again and she met Chantal’s eyes without wavering. “Where I’m going and what I’m
“Uh-huh.” Chantal shifted on her feet. “You gonna be able to handle that?”
“Handle what?”
“Him. Being around him.”
“Of course I will, Mom. I did before.”
“Sure. And then you came back from Oregon all moony-eyed and distracted like a teenaged girl with a crush.”
“I did not!”
Chantal rolled her eyes. “Why are you lying to your mother?”
“Why are you going on and on about this?” Cordelia decided that the best defense in this case was a good offense. “It’s just work.”
“Oh, my God.”
“What?”
“It’s not ‘just’ anything and you know it and I know it. Hunter is special and the more you deny it, the less I believe it.”
It was hopeless, Cordelia knew. Chantal wasn’t going to stop and she wasn’t going to back down. Cordelia sighed, fessed up.
“OK, Mom, OK.” She bit her lip. “He’s – he’s something special, alright? But it goes one way only, believe me.”
“How’s that?”
“You remember Bobby Corbett? Back in high school?”
Chantal cocked her head. “Uh… football player? You tutored him in math sometimes?”
“Yep. He came up to me after math class one day all sweet and smiling, begged me for my notes. I gave them to him and then he begged me for some extra help.”
“Yeah. And?”
“So I helped him. Soon we were studying every day after school and he flirted like crazy and hinted at maybe asking me to the prom and maybe going out together for real. Remember all this?”
“Sure.”
“So then you remember what happened next, right? He got me to basically carry him through math that year and kick up his GPA to secure that football scholarship. He led me on and teased me to keep me happy, and the second he got that final test mark, I was a stranger to him. He stopped talking to me, cut off all contact, didn’t even look at me in the hallway.”
“What’s this got to do with Hunter?”
“Hunter Sullivan’s nice to me when I serve a purpose… as soon as that purpose is done, so is our contact.”
Chantal stared at her, dumbfounded. “I don’t believe that.”
“Well, you should.”
“Why should I? You don’t.”
She paused. “Yes, I do.”
“Lying to me again,” Chantal huffed. “Which is fine, but don’t you dare lie to yourself, girl. You don’t think Hunter’s an asshole so stop saying you do.”
Cordelia looked away.
“Now, you do think he’s capable of hurting you and that part I actually agree with.”
Cordelia looked back. “You do?”
“Yeah. I’ve seen you with other men, honey, and none of them have gotten to you the way that he has. You’ve dated and spent time but you haven’t let anybody in… not really. But Hunter Sullivan got in – maybe just a tiny bit, but he did – and then he turned all cold and distant and that hurt you. I think it even surprised you that it hurt you.”
“Yeah,” Cordelia admitted quietly. “Yeah, it did hurt and it did surprise me.”
“So I’m asking again: you gonna be able to handle this?”
“I have to, Mom. This whole thing that I’m doing is about something big… bigger than anything else.”
“You can’t tell me?”
“No, I can’t. I’m sorry. But trust me, OK? When I get in to the op for real, just about the last thing on my mind will be Hunter Sullivan blowing hot and cold.”
“Yeah?”
Cordelia thought about those babies and small kids taken from their families, held in hidden places until some rich couple swanned on in and chose them, like a side of beef or a pair of shoes. Like these kids were commodities or possessions; like they were things to own just because a person had money.
“Yes.” Her voice was steady again and she met Chantal’s eyes without wavering. “Where I’m going and what I’m
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