Nailed - Opal Carew Page 0,6

and she pushed herself to her feet. “Well, I should have known it was too good to be true.” She started across the room. “Good night.”

“River, wait. Are you really going to walk away from this deal for such a small thing?”

She spun around, glaring at him. “Small? Giving up control of my company to you?”

He stood and walked toward her. “Sweetheart, I’m not taking over your company.”

“Don’t call me sweetheart,” she said through gritted teeth.

“I’ll simply be an investor. You will control the company.”

She planted her hands on her hips. “I don’t believe you.”

“Why would I want to run a nail polish company? Can’t you just accept that I want to help you?”

“To pay me back for what you did? Well, that will never happen. It’ll never be enough.”

She continued to the door.

“River, just think about it. We can meet again in a couple of days.”

She hesitated, her hand on the doorknob.

“Don’t let your dream slip away. Meet me at Hades on Tuesday evening.”

Hades was a trendy uptown bar. The irony wasn’t lost on him that she would feel she was making a deal with the devil.

She sucked in a deep breath. “I’ll think about it. But don’t expect a yes.”

“No worries there. I never know what to expect from you.”

* * *

River got on the bus and took a seat near the middle doors. She stared out at the passing cars as the bus drove.

Why? Why did it have to be him?

At the memory of the embarrassment and humiliation he’d caused her so many years ago, heat rose to her cheeks. She’d been devastated. When he’d asked her out, she’d thought he’d actually been attracted to her … she’d definitely been attracted to him. But to him the whole thing had just been … nothing.

She should have known. Right from the beginning, her best friend had warned her. But she’d thought Luanne had just been overprotective and maybe even a little jealous. River and Luanne had both been those girls that nobody quite got. Quirky and a little too strange. Certainly not someone the most eligible, attractive guy at school would be interested in.

First year of college—Spring semester

River stared at the symbols in her chemistry textbook, brushing back her hair as the breeze fluttered it across her face. The sun shone brightly on this warm, spring afternoon. She’d rather be doing anything other than studying, but the final exam was tomorrow and chemistry was her worst subject. She had to ace it to keep her scholarship.

She breathed in deeply, the fragrance of the lilacs tempting her to sit back and enjoy the sight of the campus around her. For a while, a few guys had been playing Frisbee on the grass beside her, but when a few of their friends joined them, they sat on the grass and chuckled then talked low amongst themselves. She ignored them, keeping her gaze on her book. They were probably rating the girls walking by.

She turned the page.

“Hey, studying for the exam tomorrow?”

She glanced up from her book to see Kane Winters standing by the bench. Her breath caught.

He was stunningly gorgeous, as usual. He wore dark denim jeans and a casual blue shirt with alternating darker and lighter blue stripes, and enough buttons open at the neck to give her a glimpse of his muscular chest. His dark hair was slightly longer than his friends’ more close-cropped styles, yet combed neatly into place. The thick waves gleamed in the sunlight. And the smile he flashed her was heart-stopping.

His deep blue, almost purple eyes were locked on her and she felt … exposed.

He sat down beside her and she pushed herself straighter, her back stiffening. He’d never said a word to her before—in fact, she’d been sure he didn’t even know she existed—yet now here he was, sitting beside her. Talking to her.

“Yeah. And you?” she asked.

Oh, God, that was stupid. Of course he wasn’t studying. He’d just been sitting with his friends. And he always pulled off As in chemistry. And every other class she was in with him.

He shrugged. “I’ll look over my notes tonight.” Then he smiled. “If you’d like some help studying, maybe we could get together.” He sent her a disarming smile, a definite glint in his indigo eyes. “Chemistry is my specialty.”

The seductive tone in his voice sent tremors through her. She was pretty sure the chemistry he was talking about was not the same as in the textbook. God, was he actually coming on to