Bound by Duty (Bound Series Book 1) by Stormy Smith Read Free Book Online Page A

this dance with a guy and my reactions were varied. I generally ended up berating myself as I walked away from him for the latest dumb thing I said, or reminding myself for the billionth time that this game was a terrible idea and that I should just walk away. We both could get hurt and I had a commitment that included both a crazy queen who wanted to abuse my power and an unknown prince who was likely just as deranged. But, with each interaction, I found myself smiling more, laughing with him, and hoping these encounters wouldn’t end. We were slowly building the base of a friendship, learning more about each other — our interests and our pasts.
    Given all of that, I wasn’t too surprised to find him sitting underneath a tree near where my car was parked after classes one day.
    “You understand this is bordering on stalking, right? I could probably convince someone a restraining order is necessary.” I couldn’t help but smile as I said it. Over the last week, I had actually found myself looking forward to our sarcasm-laced interactions.
    He didn’t miss a beat. “Well, if you’d stick around for more than two minutes at a time, you’d figure out that I’m not a bad guy. And, you could just face the fact that you’ve been waiting for me to ask you out.”
    His cocky grin did me in and I couldn’t stop the laugh that erupted. “Oh, really, is that all I need to do? Give in to your manly prowess? Just accept my fate as your next conquest? You really haven’t learned anything about me, Montgomery, have you? Try again.”
    I flipped my sunglasses down from on top of my head, but not before I sent him a saucy wink of my own. I was finally getting used to this game, but I wasn’t ready to give in just yet. I should stop, but it was just too much fun.
    I turned to toss my backpack into my car and heard my name from across the parking lot. Looking up, Bethany was waving her arms and beckoning me over. I tossed a, “Later, Montgomery,” over my shoulder as I strode back toward the main building. “There will definitely be a later, Amelia.” He hadn’t said the words loudly, but they echoed through my system and I couldn’t stop the little shiver that went up my spine. The electric fire that shot through me every time he was around put an extra pep in my step and I almost skipped across the parking lot.
    As I approach Bethany, she immediately looped her arm through mine. “What’s up, buttercup?” I joked as she pulled me toward the campus coffee shop.
    “Oh no you don’t, Amelia Bradbury. You’re not changing the subject on me. I want to know who that lovely hunk of tall, dark, and steamy was you were talking to. That’s Aidan, right? From Humanities?”
    It had taken me a month to realize he was in the same class as me. How exactly is it that everyone seemed to notice this guy but me? Was I that socially awkward in our first month of classes?
    Without Rynna and then Bethany, I would have hit rock bottom in my downward spiral of social awkwardness. Growing up, Rynna always pushed me to try to make friends, while my father strictly forbade it. In my high school years, I went full rebel and signed up for public school. In that experience, I found a few girls willing to take pity on me and let me sit at their lunch table. In those uncomfortable years, I learned quickly that if I found a way to make things funny, people would pay attention to me in a positive way. When I met Bethany, I was the person I had grown to be — the sarcastic version of my former self — and we instantly clicked. She also took over where Rynna left off, forcing me to constantly interact with people. That first month of class was rough, though. I basically hid in the back of every class and tried to stay under the radar, but Bethany made me branch out of my comfort zone once more.
    I shook my head to clear my thoughts, but confirmed her question. “Yep, that’s Aidan. He’s been… uh, hanging around lately.” I hadn’t