Read Online The Virgin's Revenge by Dee Tenorio - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Dee Tenorio
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pushed this, she’d become an outsider too. Cut off like chaff.
An ache filled her heart, but she knew it wouldn’t change her mind. Something had to happen. She couldn’t keep living in this pathetic limbo of hoping he’d suddenly fall madly in love with her. It was never going to happen. She didn’t have what it took to change that quality about Cole, and she knew it. He felt safe in his shell—he wasn’t about to give it up for her. But if she tried really hard, if she pushed, she’d at least have memories. She’d have closure.
She’d be free of everything.
At that, she finally snapped back to attention. Squaring her shoulders, she forced her focus onto the agent and all the papers he was spreading out in front of her. Each one had some important purpose or expense to it. It helped, knowing that screwing this up might prove Locke right about her needing someone to take care of her. She even managed to ignore the man on her left. Not noticing at all how close his warmth was to her side. She didn’t scratch the spot on her cheek where his speculative gaze was trying to burn a hole through her skin, either.
Let him stare, she decided after taking a fortifying breath, putting the pen to paper. Let him wonder what the hell was going on with the woman he’d put into the neat mental cubby labeled, “Best Friends’ Sister, Do Not Touch”. She had never asked to be put there, and she was tired of being what everyone seemed to think she was.
Helpless little sister.
Useless little store clerk.
Pointless little virgin.
She signed the next paper harder. She was done doing what she was told. Being what everyone else needed.
She scrawled her name tall and wide on the last page, adding a flair underneath before turning to Cole with her back straight, her chin high in challenge and as defiant a smile as she could offer.
It took him a second, but he straightened, the stunned expression on his face giving way after a long moment to a crooked lift to one corner of his mouth.
You see me now, don’t you, Cole?
An answering glint at her challenge showed in his eyes. He’d never been able to turn down one of those, and now she understood why, what with the way her heart felt like it was going to pound right through her chest or maybe her ears or possibly both. She felt giddy and terrified and excited and determined all at the same time.
She stood and walked to where the agent finally held out her keys. All hers. She took them and led the way to her car.
They could all just watch her go or they could follow, but one thing was sure. This little girl wasn’t waiting for anyone else to tell her how to live her life.
Watch out, world, here I come.
If he’d thought Amanda wrapped in feathers was something, Amanda wrapped in confidence was absolutely hypnotizing. All the pretty he’d spent years trying not to acknowledge turned blinding. It was a damn good thing he hadn’t been able to see her very well while they were driving or he’d have wrapped his bike around an electrical pole on the old highway back into Rancho del Cielo.
Something had happened as she’d signed those papers. Something important. Whether it had anything to do with that strange gasp she’d made when he’d winked at her or if she had simply realized she’d been able to make a major decision for her life all on her own, he couldn’t say.
Or maybe he didn’t want to say. It would mean looking at things he didn’t want to look at. Still, guilt nagged at him.
For all that he’d always tamped down his interest in Amanda, he’d never once considered how she felt about their chemistry. He shifted in his seat, but the discomfort of that realization didn’t fade. He’d been thoughtless with that wink. Thoughtless about a lot, now that he considered it. Always assuming that since she didn’t know what he was thinking, there was nothing to worry about. And maybe there wasn’t. Maybe he was making too much out of a tiny gasp. He
An ache filled her heart, but she knew it wouldn’t change her mind. Something had to happen. She couldn’t keep living in this pathetic limbo of hoping he’d suddenly fall madly in love with her. It was never going to happen. She didn’t have what it took to change that quality about Cole, and she knew it. He felt safe in his shell—he wasn’t about to give it up for her. But if she tried really hard, if she pushed, she’d at least have memories. She’d have closure.
She’d be free of everything.
At that, she finally snapped back to attention. Squaring her shoulders, she forced her focus onto the agent and all the papers he was spreading out in front of her. Each one had some important purpose or expense to it. It helped, knowing that screwing this up might prove Locke right about her needing someone to take care of her. She even managed to ignore the man on her left. Not noticing at all how close his warmth was to her side. She didn’t scratch the spot on her cheek where his speculative gaze was trying to burn a hole through her skin, either.
Let him stare, she decided after taking a fortifying breath, putting the pen to paper. Let him wonder what the hell was going on with the woman he’d put into the neat mental cubby labeled, “Best Friends’ Sister, Do Not Touch”. She had never asked to be put there, and she was tired of being what everyone seemed to think she was.
Helpless little sister.
Useless little store clerk.
Pointless little virgin.
She signed the next paper harder. She was done doing what she was told. Being what everyone else needed.
She scrawled her name tall and wide on the last page, adding a flair underneath before turning to Cole with her back straight, her chin high in challenge and as defiant a smile as she could offer.
It took him a second, but he straightened, the stunned expression on his face giving way after a long moment to a crooked lift to one corner of his mouth.
You see me now, don’t you, Cole?
An answering glint at her challenge showed in his eyes. He’d never been able to turn down one of those, and now she understood why, what with the way her heart felt like it was going to pound right through her chest or maybe her ears or possibly both. She felt giddy and terrified and excited and determined all at the same time.
She stood and walked to where the agent finally held out her keys. All hers. She took them and led the way to her car.
They could all just watch her go or they could follow, but one thing was sure. This little girl wasn’t waiting for anyone else to tell her how to live her life.
Watch out, world, here I come.
If he’d thought Amanda wrapped in feathers was something, Amanda wrapped in confidence was absolutely hypnotizing. All the pretty he’d spent years trying not to acknowledge turned blinding. It was a damn good thing he hadn’t been able to see her very well while they were driving or he’d have wrapped his bike around an electrical pole on the old highway back into Rancho del Cielo.
Something had happened as she’d signed those papers. Something important. Whether it had anything to do with that strange gasp she’d made when he’d winked at her or if she had simply realized she’d been able to make a major decision for her life all on her own, he couldn’t say.
Or maybe he didn’t want to say. It would mean looking at things he didn’t want to look at. Still, guilt nagged at him.
For all that he’d always tamped down his interest in Amanda, he’d never once considered how she felt about their chemistry. He shifted in his seat, but the discomfort of that realization didn’t fade. He’d been thoughtless with that wink. Thoughtless about a lot, now that he considered it. Always assuming that since she didn’t know what he was thinking, there was nothing to worry about. And maybe there wasn’t. Maybe he was making too much out of a tiny gasp. He
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