Free New Species 13 Smiley by Laurann Dohner Page A

“Let’s do that.”
    “You may wish to shower first.”
    Vanni. Her smell was on him. He hesitated, not
willing to lose that connection. It wasn’t rational though, he realized. “Okay.”
    Fury studied him, worry evident.
    “I’ll be fine.”
    His friend nodded. “I know.”

Chapter Five
     
    Vanni knew Beth hovered at the bathroom door of their shared
apartment because she was worried. They’d been best friends since first grade. “I’m
okay.”
    “I don’t see how. I still can’t believe what you told me in
the car.”
    She looked at Beth. “I wish it was a lie but it’s all true.
I need a shower.” She began to strip and shoved the skirt down. The engagement
ring fell out of the pocket and bounced on the tile flooring. She stared at it,
a reminder of her new reality.
    “I can almost read your mind. You look so sad, Vanni. This
wasn’t your fault. You were drugged.” Beth paused. “You don’t have to tell
Carl. I might not like him but I know how much he matters to you. We could say
you got a bad case of food poisoning and I came and got you from the hotel.”
    She shook her head. “No. It’s over. He lied to me about why
we went to the hotel in the first place and became a total jerk. You were right
about him.”
    “Which part? That he was a selfish son of a bitch or that he
was a user?”
    Vanni frowned.
    “Come on. He asks you to marry him and immediately stops
touching you? You haven’t had sex with him in four months.”
    “He was afraid it would reflect badly on his reputation. I
understood that. When our engagement was announced in the papers, they did a
story about his dad too. It would have looked terrible to have a preacher’s son
having a woman stay late at his house. The reporters suddenly became interested
in him and his life.”
    “That’s lame. I said that and I stand by it. There’s
something off with Carl. You said the sex wasn’t even good and he rarely
touched you. He probably has a boyfriend stashed somewhere. He got you to say
yes and dried up the affection. It screams to me that he likes guys and he
needed you as a front to hide it.”
    Vanni wasn’t sure. “Either way, we won’t be getting married
now.” She bent, picked up the ring and put it in the drawer so it wouldn’t get
lost. “I’ll give that back to him when he returns to town.”
    “Tell me more about this New Species. All you said was that
you both were drugged and had sex together. Was that any good at least? I mean,
you remember it, right?”
    “I’ll never forget. I remember it all.” She turned on the
water and let it warm then closed the toilet lid to sit so she could look at
the bottom of her foot. She hoped it wasn’t cut. She gasped when she sat, aware
of being tender.
    “Are you okay?”
    Vanni examined her sole. “It’s just a bruise. I don’t see
any cuts or blood.”
    “That’s not what I’m talking about. Did he hurt you?”
    Vanni looked up. “No, he didn’t hurt me.” She stood. “I’m
just sore.”
    “In a good or a bad way?”
    “What does that mean?”
    Beth arched her eyebrows and smiled. “Was he big? They look
big. Is that why you flinched when you sat down?”
    “Beth!” Vanni scowled. “Don’t be disgusting.”
    “I’m being honest. You should see the way you were walking.
It wasn’t just the limp but you’re a bit bowlegged. Was he like Justice North
with those gorgeous kitty eyes?”
    “No.”
    “He’s like Fury? He’s canine and so hot. I envy Ellie. It
was so damn sad but dreamy when they were shot at and he just swooped her up to
get her to safety. Can you imagine any guy taking a few bullets to protect a
woman? That’s loyalty to the extreme.”
    Smiley’s face surfaced in her memory. “He wasn’t like either
of them.”
    “He was a primate?” Beth leaned against the wall. “What do
they look like? I haven’t seen pictures of them that really show their
features.”
    “He had beautiful eyes.” She turned around and stepped