Page 20 of Tainted Romance

Suddenly I was fighting harder to not love her.

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ALLIE

Mom continued to laugh and joke with Dianne, while I attempted very hard to not choke on my pasta from their lame conversations.

Dianne was perhaps the only woman I knew that could laugh at basically anything. Needless to say, mom and she got on great. I, however, couldn’t take to the woman. She had brought up Taylor, and that just scared me.

“Allie, stop playing with your food and eat it already.” Mom shot me a threatening look.

I put a fork full of food in my mouth on purpose. When she had picked me up from school, I was suspicious she was up to something, and now I was sure she was up to something; the way she and Dianne kept looking around as if waiting for someone to show up.

I had given up trying to work out what it was after the first course. I was just sitting back now, dying a little bit more with each brainless joke.

“Oh, he’s here,” Dianne whispered in mom’s ear.

Taylor walked through the restaurant door holding onto a blonde’s hand. Zane followed behind them, laughing with a brunette who looked oddly very much like me, and that just didn’t sit right with me.

I felt their eyes on me, and when I glanced back at them, Dianne and my mom were staring at me full on. “What?” I snapped, frowning at their weird behavior.

“Nothing.” Mom smiled, and a satisfied look captured her face. Dianne and she exchanged a knowing look.

“Fuck, you two are weird,” I muttered, crossing my arms, and leaning back in my chair.

“Language,” mom snapped. “Now, who wants dessert?”

“I do.” Dianne grinned, with this overly happy expression on her face.

“I think the chocolate cheesecake looks nice. What about you, Allie? What would you like?” Mom asked.

“Nothing.” I was having a full course of bitterness and sour right now. Why was Zane looking at that girl with so much affection?

He didn’t know I would be here, so there was no way he had set this up to make me jealous. Nope, those were real emotions on his face, and it angered me to the core.

“What a surprise.” Mom winked at Dianne.

Oh God, when will this dinner with the freaks end! I was starting to think perhaps I should just sneak out of here.

My eyes continued to be drawn over to their table. Taylor was flirting with the blonde while Zane had the brunette under his arm, smiling tenderly at her.

I was starting to feel sick by their affection. My odd reaction hadn’t gone unnoticed by the freaks sharing the table with me.

I swear if Dianne gave me one more all-knowing smile I would reach across this table and slam my pasta in her face.

What was Zane thinking?! What the hell did he see in this chick? Weren’t the huge fake eyelashes she was wearing and tight clothes a turn-off?I was drumming my fingers on the table. I could always just hear what he was thinking. He had broken into my thoughts numerous times, so surely, I could do the same.

I didn’t even feel a pinch of guilt when I reached into his mind.

She’s so beautiful. Look at that smile. What I would do just to kiss those lips. Damn, why does she keep smiling like that? Damn, she is turning me on. What I would do to get her in bed. Will she come back with me after dinner? Is it too early to ask? What will she say?

‘That you are a perverted bastard.’My snappy voice filled his mind. I had only heard a fraction of his thoughts, but it was enough to send pure disgust through me.

‘Get out of my head,’he roared into my mind. The anger in his tone scared me for a moment.

‘Or what?’

‘I’m with another woman. Get the hint, Allie, and fuck off!’

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