Geek Girls Don't Date Dukes by Gina Lamm Read Free Book Online Page B

to fight
    in the Houndstooth. Damn and blast . He’d sworn he’d not set foot in the ring again. But what choice did they
    leave him? If Prachett and his men killed him, then his
    aunt could not last out the month. There was no one to
    purchase her medicine or to pay for her lodgings and care
    but Avery. He could not abandon her, no matter how
    it cost him.
    “Bloody hell,” he hissed as he draped the cool wet
    cloth across the welt on his upper arm. Drops of water
    ran in rivulets down his chest, dampening the fine spray
    of hairs on that side. He clamped the rag to his skin and
    set his teeth against the pain, squeezing his eyes shut.
    He blew heavy breaths from his nose, feeling the steady
    thump of his heartbeat in each welt, each bruise.
    After another moment, the pain eased somewhat. He
    lifted the now- hot cloth and dipped it into the basin again.
    Leah’s anguished voice struck him like another blow
    from the crop. “Oh my God, Avery, what the hell
    happened to you?”
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    Six
    Vulnerability. That was the sensation that bubbled
    angrily through his veins, clenched his teeth, and closed
    his fists. The knowledge that he was exposed, bleeding and
    wounded, and she was seeing him in this state turned him
    into more of an animal than a man. He didn’t turn toward
    her, keeping his gaze locked on the small window in front
    of him. He could not show her his weakness, his shame.
    “Get out.” His voice was low and threatening.
    The floorboards creaked with her steps. “Don’t be
    stupid, Avery. You’re bleeding. You look like you got
    hit by a pickup truck.” Concern threaded her words,
    lending them an almost tender sound despite the insult.
    He closed his eyes, trying to get his rage under control.
    Water trickled and dripped into the basin beside him.
    “This is going to hurt. I’m sorry.”
    The cloth had barely grazed his shoulder when he
    gained his feet like a shot. Whirling, he glared at her.
    “I said for you to leave me be. I’ve asked for no favors
    from you. These chambers are mine, not yours. If you
    are discovered here, you’ll be turned out into the street
    immediately. Besides, I’ve no need of your assistance.”
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    46
    Gina Lamm
    Geek Girls Don’t Date Dukes
    He backed toward the corner and widened his stance
    subconsciously, staring at her through lowered brows.
    She stood motionless for a while, the damp cloth still
    hanging from her fingertips like a dead creature. He
    mimicked her stillness, not letting his gaze leave her face.
    Sighing, she let the cloth fall back into the basin with
    a fleshy plop.
    “Okay, fine. So you don’t need my help.” She crossed
    her arms, and he struggled to focus on the throbbing pain
    in his ribs rather than the way her breasts rounded with
    the unintended frame. “I’ll just stay over here, quiet and
    out of the way.”
    She flounced over to the only chair in the room and
    sat, keeping her blue eyes trained on his face.
    They stood in silence, a pair of combatants unwilling
    to give the other quarter. Had she been a man, Avery
    would have been very tempted to give way to his baser
    instincts and thoroughly thrash the blighter. But this was
    Leah. Tall, beautiful, odd Leah, who insisted on helping
    to tend the wounds of a nigh stranger. Despite his best
    efforts, he could not stay angry with her. Even though
    she’d invaded his private rooms, he could not ignore the
    selfless intention behind her reasoning.
    “You can stand there and stare at me all you want.
    That’s fine with me, but it’s not going to stop that drip
    of blood that’s about to hit your waistband.”
    He looked down. Blast it, she was right. He dashed
    the offending drip away, leaving a smear of blood to mat
    the curls of hair on his abdomen.
    “Come on. Don’t be such a hard ass. If you let me
    help you clean up, it’ll go much faster, and we can both
    get down to dinner before