Page 141 of Not Your Average Vixen
Her sister’s jaw nearly hit the floor. “You’re kidding?”
“I wish I was.”
Or did she? Did she regret that night?
Her head said she should, but her treacherous heart couldn’t let him go.
“Why didn’t you say anything, Birdie?”
Bridget shook her head in frustration. “I didn’t know what to say. The guy had been an absolute creep to you, but we had this amazing night together. I didn’t know it was him at the time. We didn’t share any personal information. He only knew me as Bridget, and I only knew him as Soren.”
Lori gasped. “I never told you that Soren was Scooter’s real name, did I?”
“No, and he only knew of me as Birdie. That is, until the next morning, when Dan picked us up at the hotel, and we put it together.”
Her sister chuckled. “Well, it all makes sense now.”
Bridget reared back. “What are you talking about?”
“I was telling Tom that half of the time, you guys looked as if you wanted to tear each other apart. But the other half of the time, you guys looked more like you wanted to tear each other’s clothes off,” Lori added with the hint of a mischievous grin.
Oh no! Had everyone gotten that vibe off of them?
Bridget held Lori’s gaze. “I never wanted to complicate anything. I didn’t know what to say to you about him. I thought that, once Soren and I figured things out, I’d tell you that I…”
“That you like him?” Lori offered perceptively.
Bridget blew out an exasperated breath. “Something like that. But now, after what he did, I feel so foolish for falling for him.”
That wasn’t a lie, but there was so much more to what she was feeling. Even when they were going at each other, she’d found such comfort in his presence. And not only that, he’d pushed her. She’d never had a real adversary—never had to fight so hard for what she believed in.
Thanks to this curmudgeon of a man, she’d learned that she wasn’t the doormat Dasher sister. She possessed a backbone of steel, and it was time to put her tenacity to the test in her own life.
He’d brought out the vixen in her. There was no denying it.
There was also no denying that she wasn’t the only one he’d hurt.
“How’s Tom holding up?” she asked.
While the man had maintained his kind, positive persona throughout the day, she’d seen sadness in his eyes when he didn’t think anyone was looking.
Lori released a pained sigh. “He’s crushed. Tom sees the best in everyone, so it hit him especially hard.”
Bridget nodded. Despite only knowing Soren for a handful of days, she understood Tom’s pain.
“You really like Scooter, don’t you?” Lori asked without even an ounce of judgment.
Bridget glanced at the bed where she’d slept in Soren’s arms and dreamed of a forever with him.
A forever that would never come.
She smoothed her dress, needing to work out her nervous energy. “I don’t know. Maybe,” she lied.
Lori caught her eye in the mirror. “I’m so sorry, Birdie. But if it’s meant to be, it’ll work out.”
“But he’s awful. He tried to stop Tom from marrying you. How can you say that? Don’t you hate him?” she shot back.
Lori’s expression softened. “No, I don’t hate him. I feel sorry for him.”
