Free Tempting Taine by Kate Silver

not know, places she had not been and things she knew nothing about.   Without resorting to outright rudeness, the older woman successfully made her feel uneducated, uncultured, and utterly inferior .   Before lunch was even half over, she wanted only to escape.
    Taine and his father ate quickly, but Mrs. Hunter wouldn’t be hurried.   She toyed with her food, and, when she had finally finished eating, sipped her coffee with exaggerated slowness.
    Just as Verity thought she could not bear another second of the woman’s snide remarks and patronizing comments, Mrs. Hunter pushed away her coffee cup and placed her linen napkin on the tablecloth with a sigh.
    The instant his mother signalled that she had finished, Taine shot to his feet and grabbed Verity’s hand.   “Thanks for lunch, Mum,” he said, looking as if he’d rather bop her on the head with a blunt instrument.   “Verity and I have to shoot now.”
    “Thank you for bringing her to meet us, Taine,” she replied, her voice full of insincere sweetness.   “Now before you run off with your wee friend, be a dear and fetch me my reading glasses.   I think I left them upstairs, beside my bed.”
    Taine made an apologetic face at Verity.   “I’ll be right back.”
    As soon as Taine was out of the room, Mrs. Hunter turned to Verity.   Her face was twisted with intense dislike.   “You are not good enough for Taine,” she spat out .   “I know it, and you know it, and sooner or later, he’ll realize it, too.”
    Mr. Hunter gripped his wife’s arm, his knuckles white with tension.   “Celeste!” he hissed under his breath.   “That’s quite enough.”  
    He turned to Verity, his face blotched a purply red.   “Please excuse us.   My wife didn’t mean---”
    “Stay out of this, Jacob,” she interrupted, shaking off his restraining hand with glare of fury in her eyes.   “You have no right to interfere.”   Her voice was lethally sharp.   “I meant every word I said.”
    At her display of temper, Mr. Hunter shrugged unhappily and fell silent.
    Mrs. Hunter turned back to Verity, the hatred on her face more pronounced than ever.   “You have no style, no breeding, nothing that will keep Taine’s interest except what’s between your legs.”   She paused for a moment and skewered her with a look of utter disdain.   “You’re not welcome here.   You don't belong.   Do us all a favor and don’t come back.”

Chapter 5
     
    The Jeep pulled up outside the Hunter’s front door and Verity gave herself a shake to bring herself back to the present.   There was no point in obsessing over the past.   The whole Hunter clan had lost their power to hurt her long ago, when she gave up caring what they thought of her.
    She strode into the house after Taine and hung her dripping coat on to the coat rack, her mind on the heavy rain outside.   She hesitated at the door to the living room, still nervous about the weather.   “Can you take me home early if the weather gets worse?”
    Taine gave a casual shrug.   “Maybe.   It depends on why you want to get home so badly.   Have you got a hot date tonight you don’t want to miss?”
    She glared at him, wishing she did have something planned just so she could boast about it to annoy him.   “That’s none of your business.”
    He reached out and flicked a damp curl of hair away from her face.   “I have made it very much my business.   I want you, Verity.   I’m not going to take you home early so you can make yourself ready for another man.”
    “It was a simple question and it deserves a simple answer.”   She crossed her arms in front of her to protect herself from his intrusive questioning.   “Can you take me home early if I need to leave?”
    “Will you be going to another man?” he countered.
    “I’ve not got a date,” she ground out between clenched teeth.   “I just want to be home tonight.”
    “Then, yes, I’ll take you home when you’re ready to