Read Online Too Wilde to Tame by Janelle Denison - Free Book Online
Authors: Janelle Denison
Tags: Romance
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averted her gaze and shrugged, as she did whenever Mia asked one of these kinds of direct questions. "I opened Ray's car door too fast last night after we left The Electric Blue, and the corner accidentally hit my lip and split it open." She gingerly touched the swollen spot and laughed, but the sound was forced. "You know me. I can be so graceless sometimes."
Mia had to give Gina credit for being so innovative with her excuse, but she didn't believe her explanation for a second. Not when bruises and other marks on her body were appearing with alarming frequency.
Ray could be extremely charming when he wanted to be, but having been on the receiving end of his aggression, Mia knew he also had a darker side to his personality. She could easily see him crossing the line to abusive, but she had no real, solid proof and Gina wasn't offering up anything concrete, either.
Mia tipped her head and regarded her friend speculatively. "You know, you've gotten awfully clumsy since you started dating Ray." She managed to keep her tone light and even a bit teasing, but there was no mistaking the significance of her words.
Her comment made Gina stiffen, and those defensive walls of hers quickly went up. "Fine," she said curtly. "The truth is, things got a little out of control last night during sex."
If there was one thing Mia understood, it was "out-of-control" sex, because that's exactly what she'd experienced with Cameron last night. But for as wild and primitive as things had gotten, he'd never once hurt her, and he certainly hadn't left any bruises on her body. Their encounter had been driven by lust and passion… whereas she got the uneasy feeling that wasn't exactly the case between Gina and Ray.
"He didn't mean to split open my lip," Gina went on in her attempt to justify her boyfriend's actions. "And he apologized afterward for being so rough. It was an accident."
It didn't escape Mia's attention that Gina didn't say how Ray had cut her lip, and judging by her friend's uptight disposition, Mia didn't think she was going to find out, either.
"I'm not trying to make you upset," Mia said gently as she stared into Gina's soulful blue eyes. "I care about you, and I just want to be sure everything's okay."
As soon as Mia backed off, Gina's posture relaxed. "I'm fine," she insisted.
Reaching for Gina's hand, Mia gave it an affectionate squeeze. "Just please be more careful, okay?" Again, she infused a deeper meaning to her words, and all Mia could do was hope her friend heeded her advice. Then, she pasted on a smile and changed the subject, because she didn't want any further argument to come between them. "Have you had any breakfast this morning?"
"Just coffee." Gina adjusted her purse on her shoulder and offered another half-smile. "I wasn't hungry earlier."
"Well, you need to eat, and so do I." Mia stood and stretched the kinks from her shoulders and lower back from sitting at the drafting table for the past hour. "Let's go see what we've got left in the kitchen."
A few minutes later, after scouring the cupboards and refrigerator and coming up with one foil package containing two frosted strawberry Pop-Tarts for them to split, Gina declared, "We 50 need to go grocery shopping."
Mia laughed in agreement as she grabbed the last two bottles of water from the fridge and handed one to Gina. "I know. Let's go shopping together, and maybe we can catch a movie today, too."
Enthusiasm lit up Gina's pretty features. "Yeah, I'd like that."
"Then consider it a date," Mia said, and bit into her Pop-Tart. Yes, she'd planned on working on her new stained-glass project, but that could wait. She didn't get much girl-time with Gina these days, not since Ray had come into the picture, and she'd take whatever time with her friend she could get.
"Speaking of dates…" Gina opened her purse and pulled out a familiar piece of clothing. "You left something behind at The
Mia had to give Gina credit for being so innovative with her excuse, but she didn't believe her explanation for a second. Not when bruises and other marks on her body were appearing with alarming frequency.
Ray could be extremely charming when he wanted to be, but having been on the receiving end of his aggression, Mia knew he also had a darker side to his personality. She could easily see him crossing the line to abusive, but she had no real, solid proof and Gina wasn't offering up anything concrete, either.
Mia tipped her head and regarded her friend speculatively. "You know, you've gotten awfully clumsy since you started dating Ray." She managed to keep her tone light and even a bit teasing, but there was no mistaking the significance of her words.
Her comment made Gina stiffen, and those defensive walls of hers quickly went up. "Fine," she said curtly. "The truth is, things got a little out of control last night during sex."
If there was one thing Mia understood, it was "out-of-control" sex, because that's exactly what she'd experienced with Cameron last night. But for as wild and primitive as things had gotten, he'd never once hurt her, and he certainly hadn't left any bruises on her body. Their encounter had been driven by lust and passion… whereas she got the uneasy feeling that wasn't exactly the case between Gina and Ray.
"He didn't mean to split open my lip," Gina went on in her attempt to justify her boyfriend's actions. "And he apologized afterward for being so rough. It was an accident."
It didn't escape Mia's attention that Gina didn't say how Ray had cut her lip, and judging by her friend's uptight disposition, Mia didn't think she was going to find out, either.
"I'm not trying to make you upset," Mia said gently as she stared into Gina's soulful blue eyes. "I care about you, and I just want to be sure everything's okay."
As soon as Mia backed off, Gina's posture relaxed. "I'm fine," she insisted.
Reaching for Gina's hand, Mia gave it an affectionate squeeze. "Just please be more careful, okay?" Again, she infused a deeper meaning to her words, and all Mia could do was hope her friend heeded her advice. Then, she pasted on a smile and changed the subject, because she didn't want any further argument to come between them. "Have you had any breakfast this morning?"
"Just coffee." Gina adjusted her purse on her shoulder and offered another half-smile. "I wasn't hungry earlier."
"Well, you need to eat, and so do I." Mia stood and stretched the kinks from her shoulders and lower back from sitting at the drafting table for the past hour. "Let's go see what we've got left in the kitchen."
A few minutes later, after scouring the cupboards and refrigerator and coming up with one foil package containing two frosted strawberry Pop-Tarts for them to split, Gina declared, "We 50 need to go grocery shopping."
Mia laughed in agreement as she grabbed the last two bottles of water from the fridge and handed one to Gina. "I know. Let's go shopping together, and maybe we can catch a movie today, too."
Enthusiasm lit up Gina's pretty features. "Yeah, I'd like that."
"Then consider it a date," Mia said, and bit into her Pop-Tart. Yes, she'd planned on working on her new stained-glass project, but that could wait. She didn't get much girl-time with Gina these days, not since Ray had come into the picture, and she'd take whatever time with her friend she could get.
"Speaking of dates…" Gina opened her purse and pulled out a familiar piece of clothing. "You left something behind at The
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