Swallowing His Pride by Serena Pettus Read Free Book Online Page B

warning glare. It was just too bad it didn’t stay that way for long. “Dude, you haven’t been hanging out with her for the last hour or so. She’s mean. I watched her completely destroy this guy’s game when he offered to buy her a drink.”
    Samantha stopped midstride and turned. “Is that the only thing he asked?”
    “Well, I’m not sure. He whispered something in her ear, she ripped him a new one then started downing tequila like it was water.” Liam cast another, softer look at Lynn as she swayed next to him. “Do you think she’ll be okay?”
    “Yeah,” Sam sighed. “She’ll be fine. I’ll make sure of it.”
    All four made it out to the entrance, and Liam went ahead to hail a cab. Once they were all inside, Lynn rested her head against the window, her eyes unfocused and staring out as a single tear streaked down her cheek.
    “Hey, what’s wrong, darlin’,” Liam asked, pulling Lynn close with an arm around her shoulder.
    Dylan was shocked by his brother’s behavior, because Lynn had made it abundantly clear she wasn’t interested, and when that happened, Liam usually lost interest pretty quick. What he was seeing didn’t appear to be a romantic attraction, but instead, perhaps the beginnings of an odd friendship.
    Her glazed eyes spoke of her current inebriated state as she replied, “I’m more than a walking Barbie doll.” She’d barely slurred the last word before she slumped, boneless, against Liam’s chest.
    “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Liam asked Samantha.
    “She hates how she looks,” Sam explained as she brushed her friend’s hair from her face.
    “But she’s a knockout,” Liam replied, clearly confused.
    “And that’s all most men seem to notice. They see a tight, curvy body, long blonde hair, big bedroom eyes, and they never bother to look further. She’s brilliant. She graduated top of her class as an OB/GYN and just landed a wonderful job at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in town, but she still struggles with people judging her by her looks.” Samantha reached over and brushed the lingering moisture from Lynn’s cheek. “I hate to see her like this. She’s been such a wonderful friend to me, coming into my life when I needed her most. She saved me. Now, I can’t even return the favor. I worry about what might happen if some jerk sets her off and there’s nobody to look after her.”
    “You don’t think she’d hurt herself, do you?” Liam asked.
    “No. She’s not suicidal. She just might hurt herself while she’s out of sorts. You know, like falling off of a bar she’s dancing on?” she explained, gesturing to the now-snoring Lynn. “I’d hate to think what might have happened if you hadn’t been with her. Thank you for watching out for her.”
    Liam just chuckled. “She’s fun, but I could tell she really didn’t care for men approaching her. Now, I feel like a tool for the way I flirted with her before.”
    “Don’t sweat it. If she didn’t think you were cool, she never would have hung out with you.”
    “And you wouldn’t have been able to hang out with Dylan,” Liam sang the last bit, and Dylan just barely restrained himself from smacking his brother’s smug face. “So what did you guys do?”
    Seeing the opportunity to change the subject, Dylan piped in, “Sam, here, won seven grand on a slot machine.”
    “Really? That’s great!” Liam replied.
    “Yeah, I can’t wait until tomorrow morning. I’ll get to tell Lynn then show her the video I got of her little dance routine. Breakfast in our room is going to be a blast—for me anyway.”
    They were all still chuckling when the cab rolled to a stop in front of the Bellagio Hotel.
    “We’ll have to see if we can wake her up a bit,” Samantha said with a frown. “I don’t think they would enjoy having a woman carried through their lobby.”
    “I’m sure it’s happened before,” Liam offered. “After all, this is Vegas.”
    “I’m also looking out