Tame the Beast (Ever After #1) by Allison Smith Read Free Book Online Page A

Clara teased. “Adam just hired me as his tutor.”
    “Uh-oh.”
    “Hey, I told you it’s not what you think.”
    “Uh-huh.” Rose didn’t seem convinced. With a wicked smile, she said, “I didn’t think you were the type to take sexual favors.”
    Clara sent the nearest pillow flying through the air at her. “I did not! This is going to be actual cash for actual tutoring!”
    “I hope so,” Rose muttered. “Just don’t let him get away with anything, okay?”
    “Of course not.”
    Clara knew exactly what Rose was getting at. Neither of them was happy with the reputation he made for himself, especially after the way he targeted Clara at the party. Still, Clara had no reason to be jealous towards anyone Adam brought around. The football game was merely a small slip of her character. She wasn’t the type of girl to lose her mind over a guy. When they were at the party, Clara gave into the silly notion that Adam wanted her for more than her looks. She jumped ahead to the idea of dating him long before he even showed interest in commitment, and all because she fell in love with the possibilities life opened up to her. She wouldn’t make the same mistake again.
    Regardless, Clara could still be friends with him. It would be even easier now that she knew his intentions. In a strange way, she envied his freedom. He would never know the fear of becoming a disappointment. Clara, on the other hand, was exhausted from always trying to please her parents. She was the smart one. The one who would excel to great heights and demand the world to step up to her level. At least, that was how her family viewed her. She lived in constant fear of not rising to the level they put her on.
    “So do you want to watch a movie tonight?” Rose asked, pulling Clara from her thoughts.
    Clara shook her worries away. “Yeah. Sounds great. What do you have in mind?”
    “I don’t know. Maybe a romantic comedy?”
    Clara’s nose wrinkled at the thought. She usually loved romantic comedies, but lately, her mind drifted to a certain pair of steely eyes whenever the topic of romance came around. She couldn’t help it. She was entitled to a fantasy or two, but there was no way she was going to sit next to her friend and watch a steamy scene with Adam on her mind. The heat he created within her could pop the darn popcorn without so much as a microwave.
    “How about this one?” Clara asked as she held up a murder mystery. “It has a great twist.” And will kill any chances of thinking about getting it on with Mr. No Good Player, her thoughts added.
    The movie choice did not matter because halfway through, the girls found themselves lost in popcorn and conversation. “So I have to ask,” Clara began, “Why all the pink?”
    Rose laughed. “It was a phase I went through thanks to my two aunts. Aunt Ava made a big deal about how little girls should be showered in pink, so just to piss her off, Aunt Daphne would dress me in blue or green, or any color that wasn’t girly. Over the years, it just stuck.”
    “So did Aunt Ava help you shop for your dorm?”
    “You got it,” she replied with a winked.
    Clara chuckled and wondered what it would have been like to have her mother help prepare for college. “You’re really close to your aunts, aren’t you?”
    “Of course! When my ma found out she was pregnant with me, she knew she couldn’t do it all on her own, so she moved in with her sisters.”
    “What about your dad?” The moment the question left Clara’s lips, she wanted to take it back.
    Rose seemed unfazed as she replied, “Actually, I’ve never met him. My ma never talked about him except to say he was a good man. But My aunts had other words to say.”
    “I’m sure,” Clara said, keeping her tone sincere. “I’m sorry, by the way.”
    “Don’t be. I was raised by three wonderful women who love me. Maybe I’ll meet my dad one day, but if not, it’s his loss.”
    Clara felt inspired. She wanted to be as bold as