The One That I Want (Scorned Women Society Book 3) by Piper Sheldon (e book reader android txt) 📕

She stood in front of me with arms crossed. All the heat between us while holding hands earlier iced over in an instant.

“No, I didn’t,” I said.

She raised an eyebrow.

“Not all of it,” I said, standing up.

She crossed her arms and chewed her lip. Anybody else might think she was scowling but my gut told me she was ashamed.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked.

“No,” she said instantly. Then deepening her frown, she added, “I just got reamed.”

“That was a reaming? He didn’t even seem mad.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s mad for him. He’s hard to read,” she said without anger.

I yearned to scoop her up in my arms. To be fair, if this was Skip, I’d definitely hug him if he was upset. But I was lying to myself again trying to justify getting what I want at the cost of her. No. I was trying to be better than that.

“He told me that I need to be better at accepting help. Apparently I don’t play well with others.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Her gaze went icy.

“What?” I asked. “You did send me away the second we were supposed to work together.”

“And you didn’t read the signs,” she snapped. Confusion at her words must have registered on my face. “For the river. You didn’t read the flash flood signs,” she added.

Her frustration grew as a flush spread across her neck. This wasn’t what I intended. I certainly hadn’t meant to offend her. I thought it was obvious that she was the independent type. I didn’t know that was an insult or up for debate.

“What can I do?” I asked.

She blinked at me. After a second, she shook her head and said, “This is my fault. He told me to work with you as a team and I didn’t want to.”

“I was at the meeting too. I could have insisted,” I said. “You don’t have to bear this burden yourself. Not everything is on these shoulders.” I squeezed her shoulders, actively fighting the urge to pull her in. She looked at my hands before looking around the room. I dropped them back to my sides. “There are benefits to working as a team.”

“It’s not that. I’m happy to utilize people who bring more experience than me.”

“So long as it’s completely on your terms.” When she didn’t respond, I added, “That’s what I thought.”

“You have all the answers for someone who can’t read,” she mumbled but the side of her mouth tugged slightly.

“Har har,” I said. “I’m just saying, let’s be a team.”

She was chewing on her lip again. How the hell was I supposed to focus when she did that? I’d tasted those lips. I knew their fullness in my mouth as I sucked on them. You don’t eat filet mignon and then crave a McRib.

“I’m planning on that. I just need to—”

“Ah, ah.” I held up a finger. “No ‘I’ in team. We work together from here out. Even now.”

“Fine. Okay, yeah. You’re right.” She rocked her head side to side, popping her neck like she was preparing for battle and not simple team building. “Where should we start?” she asked.

“I have an idea. Are you free tomorrow?”

“I’m free after lunch,” she admitted. “Why?”

“It’s a surprise.”

Her nostrils flared. She really was like Skip. That’s exactly how he’d feel about a surprise. Luckily, I garnered trust for a living.

“None of that, hey. It’ll be great.” I grinned.

She made a sound like Marge Simpson when she was disappointed with Homer. She fiddled with the end of her shirt.

I said, “You don’t have to do anything. Just meet me here tomorrow around one. Wear hiking clothes.”

“Fine.”

“You won’t regret it.”

“Somehow I doubt that,” she said.

Chapter 13

Sanders

We’d been walking for ten minutes and I could feel Roxy’s anxiety ratcheting with each step. My ankle was still a little sore but it was worth it to take a hike with her.

“What sort of trust exercise involves this much walking?” she finally asked.

I held back a triumphant smile. I had bet myself that she wouldn’t last fifteen minutes until the anticipation got to her. I could only imagine the scenarios going through that head of hers.

“Oh, there you go again with the smiles,” she said.

“I just like to smile, smiling’s my favorite,” I said, echoing Will Farrell’s character in the movie Elf.

“Yes. I noticed this about you,” she said dryly.

As the path inclined, our breaths grew more labored. I didn’t actually have a fully formed plan as to where we were going. I just knew we needed to get her away from the Lodge. She needed to feel safe to be herself.

“You’re not a big smiler, I noticed.”

“Does it matter?” she asked sharply.

“Nope,” I said truthfully. Her face appealed to me no matter what expression it held. Like a piece of fine art I could never hope to interpret, it only grew more fascinating to study.

“Is the exercise me trusting that you aren’t a serial killer, luring me out to the middle of nowhere to kill me?”

“Ah, no. I could have killed you loads of times by now. I don’t need to get sweaty to do that.” I grinned at her.

She rolled her eyes. “I feel much better. Thank you.”

We reached an outcropping of heavy granite slabs jutting out over the valley of lush green trees.

“Here we are,” I said.

“How did you know about this place?”

“I didn’t.”

“This is not encouraging,” she said.

“Roxy, Roxxo, just tru—”

“Trust you. Yes, I get it. Let’s just do this. I have to prepare for a graduation party this weekend,” she said, fussing with her fringe when the wind blew it around.

“At the Lodge?” I asked. “Do Americans have to make such a big deal about everything?”

“How else will everyone know we’re the best?” She bit back a smile. “It’s a well-paying customer. Their little princess only graduates high school once. It’s a huge party. Like a hundred people. With a DJ. It’s a whole thing.”

My eyebrows shot up. That was the first time I heard her