Read Online Tame the Beast (Ever After #1) by Allison Smith - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Allison Smith
Ads: Link
thousand degrees.
“Adam Beaumont,” Rose replied. Laughter danced around her voice. “His family founded the college, although they were rich before that. Old money.”
She said it like it answered everything about Adam. In a way, it did. All one had to do was look up the family name and a whole history of generations would come flying through any search engine. But there’s more than that . The moment the thought crossed her mind, she shook it away. It was much easier to keep Adam in the Don’t-Even-Think-About-It category.
“So when do you tutor him?” Harper asked.
“Uh … at six,” Clara replied, still trying to shake him out of her mind.
“Seems kind of late.”
Clara shrugged. She was sure he would rather spend the time pre-gaming with the guys, but he insisted and so Clara went along with it. But only because he paid her well and she needed the money. Yes, that was the only reason.
“He chose the time,” Clara said with another shrug. “But don’t worry. We’ll still have plenty of time to hang out.”
Harper looked pleased, and to Clara’s relief, the girls moved on to other topics. It seemed natural to have her sister at college with her. Harper had a year left of high school, but they both knew she would never have the grades to get a full ride to Beaumont like Clara did. Clara was the brain of the family. Harper was the beauty.
As dinnertime approached, Clara dug through her closet for something more appropriate to wear than sweats. Behind her usual clothes hid a pale blue sundress she almost forgot she owned. She was surprised it hadn’t collected cobwebs. Feeling bold, she slipped it on and paired it with her flats and a light sweater.
Stepping out of the bathroom, she faced the judgment of her most trusted fashionistas as she asked, “How do I look?”
“You look gorgeous!” Harper cooed. “But since when do you care?”
“Since her pupil is a gorgeous playboy,” Rose replied with her I-know-exactly-what-you’re-up-to smile.
“No,” Clara replied. She hoped the panic in her voice didn’t sound as obvious to them as it did to her. “I just figured since we were going out after that I’d put in a little effort.”
Rose rolled her eyes. Her ruby smile was still splashed across her lips, but she didn’t push it further.
When Clara arrived at the library, Adam was already waiting at their usual spot. Her heart almost beat right out of her chest as his eyes raked over her with pure desire.
“Dress up just for me?” he asked as Clara took her seat. His deep voice was filled with heat.
She suddenly wished she picked something else to wear or a more public space to meet. Their small corner of the library, hidden behind the fiction shelves, seemed too intimate. She tried to ignore the warmth that rose from every inch of her body. They should have chosen the reference or biology section. Students were always flooding those areas. For a moment, she thought about asking him if they could move, but with her luck, he would start asking a thousand questions why. She was not going to give him the satisfaction.
“No,” she lied more to herself than him. “If you must know, my sister is in town and since we are going to Corin’s after, I figured I’d dress up a little. Is that a crime?”
“Not at all.” His smooth voice pulled her in like a moth to a flame. “So your sister’s here. Harper, right?”
Clara stopped pulling out her materials and glanced up at him. His gray eyes were still shaded with the same lust they held when she waltzed in. The air around her cranked another twenty degrees. Clearly, the librarians were as cold-blooded as Rose, because the library was beginning to feel just as scorching as their dorm.
“You remembered my sister’s name?” she asked, averting her gaze. She tried to remember when one of their sessions trailed off into a discussion about Clara’s family.
“Of course. I can’t wait to meet her.” His voice turned teasing again as
“Adam Beaumont,” Rose replied. Laughter danced around her voice. “His family founded the college, although they were rich before that. Old money.”
She said it like it answered everything about Adam. In a way, it did. All one had to do was look up the family name and a whole history of generations would come flying through any search engine. But there’s more than that . The moment the thought crossed her mind, she shook it away. It was much easier to keep Adam in the Don’t-Even-Think-About-It category.
“So when do you tutor him?” Harper asked.
“Uh … at six,” Clara replied, still trying to shake him out of her mind.
“Seems kind of late.”
Clara shrugged. She was sure he would rather spend the time pre-gaming with the guys, but he insisted and so Clara went along with it. But only because he paid her well and she needed the money. Yes, that was the only reason.
“He chose the time,” Clara said with another shrug. “But don’t worry. We’ll still have plenty of time to hang out.”
Harper looked pleased, and to Clara’s relief, the girls moved on to other topics. It seemed natural to have her sister at college with her. Harper had a year left of high school, but they both knew she would never have the grades to get a full ride to Beaumont like Clara did. Clara was the brain of the family. Harper was the beauty.
As dinnertime approached, Clara dug through her closet for something more appropriate to wear than sweats. Behind her usual clothes hid a pale blue sundress she almost forgot she owned. She was surprised it hadn’t collected cobwebs. Feeling bold, she slipped it on and paired it with her flats and a light sweater.
Stepping out of the bathroom, she faced the judgment of her most trusted fashionistas as she asked, “How do I look?”
“You look gorgeous!” Harper cooed. “But since when do you care?”
“Since her pupil is a gorgeous playboy,” Rose replied with her I-know-exactly-what-you’re-up-to smile.
“No,” Clara replied. She hoped the panic in her voice didn’t sound as obvious to them as it did to her. “I just figured since we were going out after that I’d put in a little effort.”
Rose rolled her eyes. Her ruby smile was still splashed across her lips, but she didn’t push it further.
When Clara arrived at the library, Adam was already waiting at their usual spot. Her heart almost beat right out of her chest as his eyes raked over her with pure desire.
“Dress up just for me?” he asked as Clara took her seat. His deep voice was filled with heat.
She suddenly wished she picked something else to wear or a more public space to meet. Their small corner of the library, hidden behind the fiction shelves, seemed too intimate. She tried to ignore the warmth that rose from every inch of her body. They should have chosen the reference or biology section. Students were always flooding those areas. For a moment, she thought about asking him if they could move, but with her luck, he would start asking a thousand questions why. She was not going to give him the satisfaction.
“No,” she lied more to herself than him. “If you must know, my sister is in town and since we are going to Corin’s after, I figured I’d dress up a little. Is that a crime?”
“Not at all.” His smooth voice pulled her in like a moth to a flame. “So your sister’s here. Harper, right?”
Clara stopped pulling out her materials and glanced up at him. His gray eyes were still shaded with the same lust they held when she waltzed in. The air around her cranked another twenty degrees. Clearly, the librarians were as cold-blooded as Rose, because the library was beginning to feel just as scorching as their dorm.
“You remembered my sister’s name?” she asked, averting her gaze. She tried to remember when one of their sessions trailed off into a discussion about Clara’s family.
“Of course. I can’t wait to meet her.” His voice turned teasing again as
Similar Books
