Virgin Seeks Bad Boy (Bliss River #3) - Lili Valente Page 0,26
I’m not even sure what I believe about all that anymore, and I sure as hell don’t want to spend my Sunday mornings locked up in a stuffy sanctuary.”
“That’s fine. You don’t have to come to church with me,” I assure him. “If you wanted to, you’d be more than welcome, but my faith is my personal business. It’s meaningful to me, but I understand different things might be meaningful to you. We can agree to respect each other’s choices and…hook up after church for waffles.”
Nicks eyebrows shoot up.
“What?” I ask. “Don’t tell me you don’t like waffles because that might seriously be a deal breaker.”
He grins. “Um, no, I love waffles, I just… I’m surprised. In a good way. Most churchy girls I’ve known aren’t that tolerant.”
“My faith insists on tolerance.”
He arches a dubious brow. “Yeah, maybe, but a lot of people don’t seem to have gotten that message.”
I nod and say dryly, “Not everyone is as awesome as I am.”
Nick laughs, a bright, happy sound that ends with him gathering me into his arms for an even more lovely embrace.
“You’re something else, you know that?” He grins down at me, surprise and affection mixing in his eyes.
“I think you’re cool, too,” I say, suddenly nervous all over again.
So what does this mean? Are we…dating now? Have we agreed to give this thing between us a real shot?
I suppose there’s only one way to find out…
“Want to get out of here?” I nod toward the door. “Maybe get some coffee or something? Somewhere far away from downtown?”
His smile dims. “I definitely want to get out of here, but I still think we should call Nash.”
I frown. For a second, I can’t imagine why he would want to call his brother, and then I remember—duh, because Nash is the captain of the Bliss River police.
I press my lips together and shake my head, but before I can speak, Nick pushes on, “I’m sure he’d meet us at the station and make everything go as smoothly as possible. You really should report this asshole, Mel. It’s not just about you. Think about your sisters, my sisters, all the other women you care about. Guys like that don’t just attack a woman once. It’s a pattern and reporting it could help make sure it doesn’t happen to someone else.”
My muscles tighten up all over again. He’s right, but for some reason, the thought of reporting the attack to anyone—even Nash, who’s one of the nicest, most compassionate people I know—makes me want to dig a hole in the ground and hide inside it for the rest of eternity.
“Can I think about it?” I ask. “I just, I know you’re right, but…I need some time. To get used to the idea.”
“Okay,” he says. “I won’t push it anymore, but could you at least tell me the guy’s name?”
I peer up at him through my lashes. “Why do you want his name?”
“Just in case,” he says, the tension in his jaw betraying his casual tone.
I prop a hand on my hip. “In case of what?”
“In case you decide not to report him,” he says, heat creeping into his eyes. “And I need to give him an off-the-record reminder not to touch a woman without permission again, and not to get within ten feet of you or I’ll fucking kill him.”
My eyes go wide. I don’t know what’s scarier—that Nick sounds so convincingly menacing, or that I like it so much. I’ve never been a fan of violence—I’m a turn-the-other-cheek kind of girl all the way—but I can’t deny that the thought of Nick pounding Seth into a bloody pulp makes something savage inside me extremely happy.
The thought of doing it myself isn’t too bad, either…
Which means there’s only one responsible choice to make.
“All right,” I say, my voice shaking a little. “Call Nash.”
“Really?” He hugs me closer. “Are you sure? I feel like an asshole for pressuring you, but I just—”
“No, you’re right. It’s something I should do, and I don’t want to put you in that kind of position. Better to let the police handle this. If you got hurt because you felt like you had to take this into your own hands, I’d never forgive myself.”
“I know I don’t have to anything, I want to,” he says. “I want to rip this guy’s dick off and feed it to my pet snake.”
I cringe. “You have a pet snake?”
He nods. “I do. Her name is Clare. But don’t worry, she’s not the jealous