Page 3 of Love Me Boldly

Rich men would get one whiff of my life and take me for a gold digger. And if they didn’t, their mothers certainly would.

I gave Tanner a quick scan and found him the same. No wonder Tracey latched on to them in my three-minute wait at the bar. They screamed rich tourists, down for a good time with a local.

Except Tracey wasn’t a local, and this one knew better.

“You guys here for the weekend?” I asked and caught sight of Tracey sliding closer to Tanner.

He was attractive. That couldn’t be argued, but he definitely looked like a guy ready for a good one-night stand than anything else.

“Just the night. Wanted to get out of Boone.”

Boone.And they were our age. That meant… “You’re students?”

Graham smirked, eyes widening. “You don’t sound like you like that.”

He couldn’t be a finance major. I would have seen him in the business classes building. Rather, I should have. I tended to keep my eyes down and my business to myself when I was on campus.

I ignored his statement. “Major?”

He rocked back on his heels, grinning like a fool. “Science education.”

“Seriously?” I scoffed. Couldn’t help it. No way a man who looked like that was aneducationmajor.

“Yeah. Wanna coach someday, and I like science.”

“Huh.”

“Wanna tell me why my answer makes you look like you just sucked on a lemon and remembered you despise them?”

There was curiosity there, and interest. It sounded genuine too, but I quickly shook it off.

“Didn’t peg you for the type, I guess.”

“Yeah? What’s my type?”

His eyes scanned my body. Oh yeah…definitely interest there. Too bad for him. I was staying far away from all college guys. The last thing I was going to do was end up like my mom. Knocked up, unmarried, life ruined, and bitterness growing with every breath.

“I wasn’t talking about girls,” I said and rolled my eyes.

He set his drink on the narrow shelf next to him and crossed his arms over my chest. “You don’t like me.”

“Don’t take it personally. I rarely like anyone.”

More than that, I’d learned early not to trust anyone. Tracey wormed her way into my heart against my defenses, but the people who did that were few and far between.

To my utter surprise, the man threw his head back and laughed. “Fair enough, Spitfire.”

I scowled. Nicknames weren’t my thing.

“What’d I do now?”

As he asked, his eyes narrowed on something other than me, and then a sharp, stabby point pushed into my upper arm.

“Ow.” I jerked my shoulder back and turned.

Any amusement I’d had being at Golden’s, which was already slim, vanished.

“Whattareyou doin’ in here?”

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