Free Tempting Nora by A.M. Evanston Page B

marriage. There's nothing you can do to make me change my mind. Keep your hands to yourself."
    The man stared at her, still clutching the spot where she'd hit him. She wondered whether she'd give n him a concussion. Heck, she hoped she had. It would serve him right.
    "What?" she snapped when he still didn't look away.
    "Nothing." He shook his head, but he continued to stare at her with a strange new expression.
    Suddenly, she knew what the change in him was. He was looking at her with respect.
    ****
    With a groan, Nora leaned away from the table and smiled at the ceiling. One steak dinner, two sodas, and three pieces of delectable cheesecake later, she was bursting at the seams. As she let out a content—although pained—sighed, Gideon smiled.
    "Happy?" Gideon asked.
    "Yeah." Despite everything, she was. "Thank you for the meal."
    " That's the nicest thing you've said all evening," he said.
    "Whose fault is that?" He was the one who kept trying to make a pass at her.
    Gideon chuckled and shrugged.
    "Well, are you ready to go?" Gideon asked. "I'm sure you're itching to head home. I know you have to work tomorrow."
    She loathed that he knew her work schedule.
    "I'm ready." She stood up with a sigh. "Is there any chance you won't come to the tea shop tomorrow?"
    "Nope." Gideon winked and hopped to his feet. "In fact, I might be there early, just to get back at you for the spoon incident."
    Oh great. She should have known.
    As the two of them headed for the door, Gideon grabbed her hand. She scowled and pulled away at once. No way Jose, Mr. Stalker. Once they made it outside, she headed toward her car with single-minded determination. To her surprise and horror, Gideon seized her arm and pulled her back. She held up her fists, prepared to defend herself from his advances.
    "Stop. " She scowled at him. "I was tricked into going on this date, so there will be no kissing, hugging, or anything else."
    "Calm down." Gideon rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to make a move. I was already rejected enough to night. I need a day to repair my ego."
    "I think your ego could stand a little bruising." She gnashed her teeth.
    "Here we go again." Gideon sighed. "I just wanted to ask you a question. Can you put your claws away for long enough to have a normal conversation?"
    "Claws?" She cocked her head. "What am I, a cat?"
    "Nora…" Gideon wrinkled his nose, obviously no longer in the mood for bickering.
    She guessed she could attempt to answer his question without sarcasm or bitterness just this once.
    "What is it?" she asked.
    "Why are you so against going home with a man?" he asked. "I'm not talking about just me either. I mean with any man."
    Of course when he asked a question, it had to be a doozy. For a moment she considered sidestepping his query or fleeing to her car, but then she realized he might leave her alone if he knew the truth. After all, he probably thought she'd made some vow of chastity she was too stubborn to break or something like that. No, her reasons were a lot more serious. Still it always hurt to talk about her past.
    " My mom," she said quietly. "I won't go home with anyone because of my mom."
    "Your mom?" He stared at her, eyes wide.
    "My mom was in a relationship with my dad for a couple years. He was her high school sweetheart. When she was eighteen, she got drunk at a party even though she wasn't twenty-one." Nora's fists clenched at her sides. "She slept with him and ended up becoming pregnant. My dad ran for the hills when she told him. My mom never heard from him again. Her parents kicked her out of the house. She was supposed to go to college that fall, but she took a minimum wage job instead and attempted to raise me."
    "Oh." That was all Gideon said.
    "I destroyed her, Gideon." She took a deep breath.
    " I'm sure that isn't true." He reached for her, but she took a step back.
    Angry and upset—not at her mom but at herself— she gnashed her teeth.
    "It 's true. She hated me. In fact, she hated me so much she