DARE-TO-LOVE-TRUTH-AND-DARE-DUET-COLLECTION-by-Lylah-James-pdfarchive

“That’s nice,” Mrs. Coulter jumped in before her
husband could utter another hateful word. He was staring
at me as if I was a pest. As I stared at Brad, I could see the
resemblance. Maddox was a carbon copy of his father. The
same hair, same eyes, same angry look on their faces.
“So, have you gotten any college acceptances yet?”
Savannah tried to break through the tension, looking back
and forth between Maddox and me.
I nodded, chewing on the bite I just took before
answering. “Yes, to Princeton, but I am hoping for
Harvard.”
Maddox’s father let out a huff. “Harvard? It’s not easy to
get in.”
My shoulders straightened, and I gave him a tight smile,
trying to look polite. If Brad saw the irritated look on my
face, he ignored it. “Oh, I know, but I’ve been working for
this for years now,” I told him. He didn’t scare me, not with
his judgmental stares or his cold smile.
Maddox finally spoke. “Lila is one of the top five
students at Berkshire.”
There was a hint of pride in his voice, and my cheeks
heated. I quickly took another bite of my toast before
swallowing it down with the tea I had in front of me.
Brad tsked, looking only slightly impressed. He regarded
me with a curious look as if he was finally seeing me in a
different light. He gave me a sharp nod before his gaze
focused on Maddox. “Well, that’s good to hear. Maybe you
can teach my wayward son how to be responsible.”
I wasn’t touching Maddox, but I felt it as if it was my
own – his muscles tightening, his body rigid as a bow – he
was ready to sprint away or lunge at his father’s throat.
There was fire in his eyes and ice in his veins. My hand slid
over to him, and I placed my hand on his thigh, holding him
down, even though I was no match to his strength. His
muscles rippled beneath my touch, and his own hand
landed on mine. His breath expelled in a jerky rush.