Nailed - Opal Carew Page 0,25
woke up to find he’d made lunch.
She sat down at the table, then took a bite of the spaghetti with meat sauce he’d set in front of her.
“So what’s your family like?” she asked.
He handed her a glass of soda, then sat across from her.
“It’s just me and my parents. My dad is a serious type, a bit crusty, but really smart. And he’s very strong willed. Mom is kind of sweet. She softens his rough edges.”
She liked the warmth in his eyes as he talked about them.
“Dad’s more or less retired now,” Kane continued. “He used to work long hours, seven days a week, and Mom and I used to worry about him. Then a couple of years ago, he had a heart attack and then … bang!… in his usual sure-minded way, he decided life was too short and put his company in the hands of his well-trained executives. Now he oversees any major undertakings, but mostly he and Mom spend a lot of time together traveling.” He smiled, his eyes lighting up. “They’re so much happier since he made that decision.”
“Where are they now?” she asked.
“They’ve gone to Paris for a few months. In the fall, they might go back to New York for a while before they jet off to somewhere warm for the winter.”
“With all that traveling, do you get to see them much?” she asked.
He seemed so close to his parents. With them away all the time, he must miss them.
“I visit them every few months, when school permits. And we keep in touch over Skype.”
She frowned. “It sounds a bit lonely for you.”
He sipped his soda. “I’m fine. I have a lot of friends and…” He shrugged. “I like my independence.”
He gazed at her and smiled. “I can tell you think I feel abandoned, but I don’t. I know if I asked them to spend more time nearby, they would. But we don’t have to be in the same city … or even country … to be close. I know they love me. They’ve shown me that in everything they’ve said and done for me my whole life.”
She gazed at him with new eyes. She had thought he was a spoiled rich kid, with no appreciation of what his family gave him. That his relationship with his family would be superficial and distant.
But what he had was something she craved. Parents who cared about her and her well-being. Who would be willing to put aside their own wants, if only for a moment, to look out for her and ensure she was okay.
Parents who loved her.
* * *
After lunch, he drove her to the small house where she rented a room in the basement and walked her to the back door, then gave her a passionate kiss. She walked inside, a big smile on her face, then opened the door to the stairs and went down to the small apartment she shared with Gloria. Gloria had been a stranger to River when they both moved in in September—both just students the homeowners had rented rooms to. They hadn’t become close friends, and at one time River wished Gloria hadn’t been such an over-sharer about her sex life, though now she was grateful for it.
When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw Gloria sitting on the couch reading a book.
“Hi, Gloria.”
Gloria put down her book and stared at her. River could sense the tension emanating from her.
“You spent the night with Kane Winters?”
“Uh … yeah. Why?”
Gloria stood up. “I hate to be the one to tell you this,” she said tightly. “But … he was only using you.”
“What are you talking about?”
Gloria shrugged. “He’s a guy and that’s what they do.”
Anger surged through River and she planted her hands on her hips. “Is it that hard to believe he’s actually interested in me?”
“Because he was sweet and charming and told you what you wanted to hear?” she challenged. “River, that’s what guys do to get into a girl’s pants. Plus … he only went out with you on a bet.”
River blinked as those last words sank in. Then her blood slowly turned to ice.
“No, I don’t believe that.” But her stomach clenched, uncertainty seeping through her.
“He just wanted to nail you, River.”
Gloria picked up her phone from the crate that acted as a coffee table. “Listen.”
She pushed a button, and the sounds of moaning emanated from the phone.
“Oh, God!”
“You like that, sweetheart.” It was Kane’s voice.
“Ohhh, yes.” … moaning … “Oh, yes.