Branded: You Own Me & The Virgin's Night Out by Shiloh Walker Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Shiloh Walker
said, reaching up and cupping her cheek.
She turned away, staying silent.
“If you’re having second thoughts, we can go out instead. You should have a contact for him. Just call, tell him you changed your mind. Or I can handle it—”
“I’m not changing my mind,” she said calmly. “We’re just having drinks. And we’re meeting at Rush. Pixie’s group is playing and Decker and Selah will be around. If it goes bad, I’ll signal one of them.”
The odd, strained silence that fell was little surprise. Noel liked Decker about as much as Decker liked him. They couldn’t stand each other. Noel really didn’t fit in with anybody she cared about. He didn’t fit in anywhere in her life. Sometimes, not even with her.
“You really think relying on an ex-con is the best—”
“ Don’t .” The fury sprang forward and she whirled on him,
thoughts of caution fading into the background. She strode to him and jabbed her finger into his chest.
Surprise lit his eyes.
“Don’t ever talk about him like that,” she said, cutting him off when he went to open his mouth. Nobody got to dismiss Decker like that. Nobody. “You don’t know anything about him.”
“I know he has a record.” Noel caught her wrist, squeezing when she tried to jerk away. “Isn’t that enough? What the fuck do you see in that thug? If I didn’t know better, I’d think you had a thing going for him—I know plenty of women go for the big and tattooed look, but sweetheart, that man isn’t ever going to find what he needs from a girl like you, and you know it.”
The sharp little pain in her chest didn’t make sense. Decker was her friend. Her best friend. That was what he needed from her, what she needed from him. “You’re wrong,” she said, shaking her head.
This time, she moved into him, just enough, catching him off-guard. His grip loosened and she jerked away. “We’re friends. That’s all we are, all we’ll ever be. But he’s the best friend I’ve ever had and I won’t hear you talk about him that way.”
Backing away, she put herself in the middle of the room. As Noel’s gaze landed on her, she fought the urge to back even farther away. That look…she didn’t like it. It was an ugly sort of look, and then he cocked his head and the look she’d thought she saw was gone.
Still, the uneasiness lingered. “I need to finish getting ready, Noel.”
“Sure.” He gave her an easy smile. “Maybe we can have lunch together, though. Tomorrow.”
“I don’t know…”
He moved in, then, and when he brushed her hair back, cupped her face tenderly, that odd, wistful yearning inside her twisted and sighed. “I miss you. We’re supposed to date others…that doesn’t mean we let each other go.” His mouth brushed over hers and the gentleness there seemed to whisper an apology. “Don’t you miss me? At all?”
The awful thing was that she wasn’t sure she did.
This whole thing had been about making him appreciate her
more.
Instead she found herself seeing less and less about him that she could appreciate.
Stop it. You love him…don’t you ?
Floundering in a rush of confusion, she forced a smile. “We can try lunch. I’m working, though. Want to meet at La Rosa? Around one?”
• • •
His name was Loren.
Loren was five-ten, a little solid through the middle—the way a football player would have been, she decided. He still looked pretty fit and he looked at her in a way that made her feel like she was completely beautiful.
He called her beautiful, and for a little while, Elizabeth even felt like she was.
It might have been easier to relax if she wasn’t acutely aware of Decker and Selah in a booth between them and the door. All she had to do was send them a look and they’d be over there.
But she was having fun.
Loren was a welder and he also liked to do art in his free time—metal art. He had some pictures up on his profile, which was one of the reasons she’d decided she’d accept
She turned away, staying silent.
“If you’re having second thoughts, we can go out instead. You should have a contact for him. Just call, tell him you changed your mind. Or I can handle it—”
“I’m not changing my mind,” she said calmly. “We’re just having drinks. And we’re meeting at Rush. Pixie’s group is playing and Decker and Selah will be around. If it goes bad, I’ll signal one of them.”
The odd, strained silence that fell was little surprise. Noel liked Decker about as much as Decker liked him. They couldn’t stand each other. Noel really didn’t fit in with anybody she cared about. He didn’t fit in anywhere in her life. Sometimes, not even with her.
“You really think relying on an ex-con is the best—”
“ Don’t .” The fury sprang forward and she whirled on him,
thoughts of caution fading into the background. She strode to him and jabbed her finger into his chest.
Surprise lit his eyes.
“Don’t ever talk about him like that,” she said, cutting him off when he went to open his mouth. Nobody got to dismiss Decker like that. Nobody. “You don’t know anything about him.”
“I know he has a record.” Noel caught her wrist, squeezing when she tried to jerk away. “Isn’t that enough? What the fuck do you see in that thug? If I didn’t know better, I’d think you had a thing going for him—I know plenty of women go for the big and tattooed look, but sweetheart, that man isn’t ever going to find what he needs from a girl like you, and you know it.”
The sharp little pain in her chest didn’t make sense. Decker was her friend. Her best friend. That was what he needed from her, what she needed from him. “You’re wrong,” she said, shaking her head.
This time, she moved into him, just enough, catching him off-guard. His grip loosened and she jerked away. “We’re friends. That’s all we are, all we’ll ever be. But he’s the best friend I’ve ever had and I won’t hear you talk about him that way.”
Backing away, she put herself in the middle of the room. As Noel’s gaze landed on her, she fought the urge to back even farther away. That look…she didn’t like it. It was an ugly sort of look, and then he cocked his head and the look she’d thought she saw was gone.
Still, the uneasiness lingered. “I need to finish getting ready, Noel.”
“Sure.” He gave her an easy smile. “Maybe we can have lunch together, though. Tomorrow.”
“I don’t know…”
He moved in, then, and when he brushed her hair back, cupped her face tenderly, that odd, wistful yearning inside her twisted and sighed. “I miss you. We’re supposed to date others…that doesn’t mean we let each other go.” His mouth brushed over hers and the gentleness there seemed to whisper an apology. “Don’t you miss me? At all?”
The awful thing was that she wasn’t sure she did.
This whole thing had been about making him appreciate her
more.
Instead she found herself seeing less and less about him that she could appreciate.
Stop it. You love him…don’t you ?
Floundering in a rush of confusion, she forced a smile. “We can try lunch. I’m working, though. Want to meet at La Rosa? Around one?”
• • •
His name was Loren.
Loren was five-ten, a little solid through the middle—the way a football player would have been, she decided. He still looked pretty fit and he looked at her in a way that made her feel like she was completely beautiful.
He called her beautiful, and for a little while, Elizabeth even felt like she was.
It might have been easier to relax if she wasn’t acutely aware of Decker and Selah in a booth between them and the door. All she had to do was send them a look and they’d be over there.
But she was having fun.
Loren was a welder and he also liked to do art in his free time—metal art. He had some pictures up on his profile, which was one of the reasons she’d decided she’d accept