Read Online The Princess and the Pauper by Nancy Bush - Free Book Online Page B

through the sunroof at the dusty-blue sky. She had to see Jesse again. Soon. She only had a couple of months until she left town. Before meeting him, she’d been anxious to depart, but now she desperately wanted to renew what had begun between them.
    An engine whined and a shiny blue car drove past. April watched it until it disappeared from sight. Three more cars sped by before a black and chrome motorcycle, catching and reflecting the sunlight, caught her attention. She recognized the helmet and leather jacket. April nosed the Mercedes into traffic.
    Another car sandwiched itself between her and Jesse. Good, April thought with satisfaction. She wasn’t all that keen on a high-speed chase, and she was certain Jesse wouldn’t slow down if he saw her.
    He drove directly home, turning into the rutted driveway. Drawing on her courage, April pulled in behind him. When Jesse spied her, he stiffened and warily watched her climb out of the car.
    “I followed you from work,” April explained unnecessarily. “It seemed the only way to get you to talk to me.”
    His gaze slid from her to her car. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a Mercedes in my driveway before,” he said wryly.
    April heaved and exasperated sigh. “Would you mind taking a drive with me? Please?”
    “Like you did with Jordan?”
    She flushed deeply. “He told you? And you still wouldn’t meet me,” she added despairingly.
    “Princess, we have nothing to talk about.”
    “Stop calling me that! I’m not some stupid child you can just order around. I’ve got some things I need to say. Just give me a chance.” She swept an arm in the direction of the Mercedes. It was a brave display of courage she truly didn’t feel.
    To her surprise Jesse did as she suggested, fitting his lean form into the passenger side of the car. April quickly scooted behind the wheel and switched on the ignition.
    “I’m not going to jump out,” he said, when she threw the car into reverse, and dirt and gravel spewed out from the back tires.
    “We’ll see,” she muttered.
    For lack of anywhere better to go, she headed toward River Road again. Now that she had him captive, she was suddenly tongue-tied and shy, and it made her irritable. They drove for miles before Jesse asked sardonically, “Well?”
    “I think you have the wrong impression of me,” April managed to say, her eyes trained steadily on the road in front of her. “I’m not Tasha Bennington.”
    “Okay, you’re not Tasha Bennington.”
    “And I do know what I’m doing,” she added with some heat.
    Jesse smiled and said nothing.
    April was so frustrated that she wanted to stamp on the accelerator. Instead, she pulled off at a narrow turn around and cut the engine. “I don’t know why, but I care what you think of me,” she declared. “I’m not a spoiled brat.”
    “Okay.”
    “Stop humoring me!”
    “What would you like me to do?” Jesse asked cuttingly.
    Unhappiness welled inside her, suffocating her. She glanced away, then wrapped her arms around her middle, squeezing hard, staving off the tears that were suddenly scalding the back of her throat. “I just wish – you’d like me – a little.”
    Whatever he’d expected, this clearly wasn’t it. Jesse ran a hand through his hair, tugging furiously at the length of it against his nape. “I don’t want to like you,” he told her tautly. “I don’t want anything to do with you.”
    “Why?”
    “Because you’re trouble,” he ground out. “Because you’re slumming. Because just as soon as you get whatever you want from me, it’ll be over, and I’ll be left to save my skin.”
    Tears of fury stood in her eyes. Her lips quivered uncontrollably. She didn’t trust herself to speak.
    “Why don’t you ask yourself what you want – really want – from me?”
    “This was a mistake,” she murmured unsteadily, reaching for the ignition. Jesse’s hand clamped over hers, stopping her. Several times he tried to say something, then