Worth Any Price by Nika Rhone

Author:Nika Rhone [Nika Rhone]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Park Nine Publishing
Published: 2024-01-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

The afternoon had been…illuminating.

It certainly wasn’t the way she’d been expecting to spend the day. But as Amber pulled into the parking lot in front of her building, she was very glad she’d extended the impulsive invitation for Rick to join them.

Not that they’d resolved the major issue still laying between them. Or even brought it up. The way he’d attacked her with his suspicions at his office the other day, and the indecent proposal he’d made, was still a silent, festering topic they’d both, in unspoken agreement, left untouched for the time being.

But it was still there.

Waiting.

Throbbing, right below the surface. And not in a good way.

Somehow, she’d been able to ignore it and have a good time at the zoo. A fact she attributed to having overheard—okay, shamelessly eavesdropped on—the conversation Rick had with Derek. At least now she had a better understanding of why that ugly scene happened. The honest hurt in his tone when he’d talked about women only being with him for his wallet had lanced a little of the resentment from the wound he’d left.

It also made her question what was wrong with them all. Hell’s bells, the man was sweet, and smart, and incredibly, deliciously yummy. What woman overlooked all of that in favor of a bank balance?

A stupid one, that’s who.

Or a greedy one.

Trailer trash without a pot to piss in will always look for a payday using what’s between their legs to bargain with.

The echo of Mrs. King’s words to her husband as though Amber hadn’t been standing right there in front of them, young, terrified, and pregnant, put a damper on her upbeat mood. She knew now that wasn’t how Rick saw her. Not exactly. But it didn’t stop the old insecurities from making her confidence shrivel a little.

How far was the stretch really between trailer trash and gold digger?

As three sweaty, over-sugared kids piled out of the backseat of her rattling old Ford—please don’t let the muffler fall off until after the holidays when I can afford a new one—she glanced at the man sitting in her passenger seat.

Though he’d offered to drive, she’d wanted the small amount of control taking her own car gave her. She’d expected him to argue, but he didn’t put up a peep of protest.

Of course, that hadn’t stopped him from hitting the non-existent brake pedal on the passenger side floor a few times on the drive home from Denver. Clearly, he wasn’t a man used to being driven around despite his wealth. She found that oddly comforting.

Then again, it might have just been commentary on her driving.

“What’s the smile for?”

Like she’d cop to that.

“Just thinking I had a really nice time today.”

“So did I.” He reached over and took her hand lightly in his. “Thank you for inviting me along.”

It was the first time he’d touched her all day, other than when he’d used his quick reflexes to twist them both out of the way of two teens barreling through the crowd outside the reptile house.

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