Read Online The Darkest Surrender by Gena Showalter - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Gena Showalter
Ads: Link
in his power to push her away.
“I won’t be sleeping with one of your friends,” he said flatly.
The hottest threads of tension drained from her. “Good. That’s good. All of my friends are ugly hags, anyway.” They were gorgeous, every one of them, but if he’d taken her up on the offer, she would have cut them loose in a heartbeat and gotten new ones. Repulsive ones.
“Kaia. There’s nothing you can say to change my mind. I like you, I do. You’re beautiful and smart and funny as hell. You’re strong and courageous, too, but nothing’s ever going to happen between us. I’m sorry, I really am. I’m not meaning to be an asshole here, just truthful. We’re just not good for each other. Not a good match. I’m sorry,” he repeated.
They weren’t good for each other? What he really meant was she wasn’t good enough for him. After she had chased him, lost a fight to protect him, threw herself at him time and time again, she wasn’t a good match for him. And he…was…sorry…
Suddenly she wanted to claw his face. Drink his blood.
Don’t forget the upcoming games. Hurting him would hurt her, and she needed to be at her best.
She drew in a deep breath, held it, held, her lungs burning, blistering, before she slowly released every molecule, singeing her throat, her nose. She might have thought Strider deserved something, someone, better, but she deserved better than this. Right?
He finished lamely, “I hope you understand,” completely unaware of the havoc he’d created. Or maybe he just didn’t care.
He needed to learn the proper etiquette for dealing with his Harpy.
She needed to teach him.
She should close the distance between them and trace her fingertips all over him before he had time to dart away, all the while pressing her curves against him. Anything to arouse him. Anything to force him to see her as more than the beautiful, smart and funny girl who had nailed the keeper of Promiscuity. Then, as he begged for release, she should walk away.
He wouldn’t be harmed, but he would leave with a better understanding of how rotten denunciation felt.
Kaia couldn’t bring herself to take a single step, however. She might just find herself on the receiving end of rejection and failure yet again. He might push her away before she could make her move. And really, a thousand other rejections and failures awaited her in the coming weeks.
So much for giving him countless chances.
“I do understand,” she whispered. “Just…have fun on your trip, okay.” A dismissal. “I plan to have lots of fun on mine.” A lie. Although she did plan to hold her head up high and kick as much ass as she could. So much ass, in fact, that her clan would have to rethink her title.
Kaia the Disappointment no longer. Maybe she’d become Kaia the Stompalicious. Or Kaia the KillYouDeadatron.
“So…you’re going on a trip?” he asked, and he sounded relieved.
Do not react. “Yep. I sure am.”
Still he didn’t face her. “Where? When?”
Don’t you dare react. “In four days, I leave for—oops, never mind.” She moved around him and sat at the table. “You don’t want to know, remember?” Doing her best to appear nonchalant, even smug, all while the bastard ripped her heart out of her chest and danced on the pieces, she opened a bag of chips.
“You’re right. Just…be careful, and I’ll see you—just be careful, okay?”
He’d stopped himself from saying later. I’ll see you later. Because he had no plans to see her again. Ever.
“I will,” she said, as she fought tears for the second time in her life. She deserved this, she supposed. Punishment for the Unfortunate Incident, for Paris, hell, for all the rejections she had dished out over the centuries. “You, too.” Much as she currently despised him, she wanted him healthy, whole.
“I will.” He strode out of the kitchen, out of her home, out of her life, the front door banging ominously shut behind him.
CHAPTER FOUR
T HE NEXT
“I won’t be sleeping with one of your friends,” he said flatly.
The hottest threads of tension drained from her. “Good. That’s good. All of my friends are ugly hags, anyway.” They were gorgeous, every one of them, but if he’d taken her up on the offer, she would have cut them loose in a heartbeat and gotten new ones. Repulsive ones.
“Kaia. There’s nothing you can say to change my mind. I like you, I do. You’re beautiful and smart and funny as hell. You’re strong and courageous, too, but nothing’s ever going to happen between us. I’m sorry, I really am. I’m not meaning to be an asshole here, just truthful. We’re just not good for each other. Not a good match. I’m sorry,” he repeated.
They weren’t good for each other? What he really meant was she wasn’t good enough for him. After she had chased him, lost a fight to protect him, threw herself at him time and time again, she wasn’t a good match for him. And he…was…sorry…
Suddenly she wanted to claw his face. Drink his blood.
Don’t forget the upcoming games. Hurting him would hurt her, and she needed to be at her best.
She drew in a deep breath, held it, held, her lungs burning, blistering, before she slowly released every molecule, singeing her throat, her nose. She might have thought Strider deserved something, someone, better, but she deserved better than this. Right?
He finished lamely, “I hope you understand,” completely unaware of the havoc he’d created. Or maybe he just didn’t care.
He needed to learn the proper etiquette for dealing with his Harpy.
She needed to teach him.
She should close the distance between them and trace her fingertips all over him before he had time to dart away, all the while pressing her curves against him. Anything to arouse him. Anything to force him to see her as more than the beautiful, smart and funny girl who had nailed the keeper of Promiscuity. Then, as he begged for release, she should walk away.
He wouldn’t be harmed, but he would leave with a better understanding of how rotten denunciation felt.
Kaia couldn’t bring herself to take a single step, however. She might just find herself on the receiving end of rejection and failure yet again. He might push her away before she could make her move. And really, a thousand other rejections and failures awaited her in the coming weeks.
So much for giving him countless chances.
“I do understand,” she whispered. “Just…have fun on your trip, okay.” A dismissal. “I plan to have lots of fun on mine.” A lie. Although she did plan to hold her head up high and kick as much ass as she could. So much ass, in fact, that her clan would have to rethink her title.
Kaia the Disappointment no longer. Maybe she’d become Kaia the Stompalicious. Or Kaia the KillYouDeadatron.
“So…you’re going on a trip?” he asked, and he sounded relieved.
Do not react. “Yep. I sure am.”
Still he didn’t face her. “Where? When?”
Don’t you dare react. “In four days, I leave for—oops, never mind.” She moved around him and sat at the table. “You don’t want to know, remember?” Doing her best to appear nonchalant, even smug, all while the bastard ripped her heart out of her chest and danced on the pieces, she opened a bag of chips.
“You’re right. Just…be careful, and I’ll see you—just be careful, okay?”
He’d stopped himself from saying later. I’ll see you later. Because he had no plans to see her again. Ever.
“I will,” she said, as she fought tears for the second time in her life. She deserved this, she supposed. Punishment for the Unfortunate Incident, for Paris, hell, for all the rejections she had dished out over the centuries. “You, too.” Much as she currently despised him, she wanted him healthy, whole.
“I will.” He strode out of the kitchen, out of her home, out of her life, the front door banging ominously shut behind him.
CHAPTER FOUR
T HE NEXT
Similar Books
