I swallowed hard. Amber was the kind of woman who brought out every one of my insecurities. On top of the conversation with Jason, nearly being caught and found out by Karen, and being baited by Harlan, I wasn't sure I could survive the afternoon.
I debated my options, like whether I should sidle up to the bar and claim my territory. Or was it better to watch and learn? What was Logan up to? The minute I turned my back, he went after Amber? Something felt off. Maybe it was me. Maybe I simply didn't belong here.
In desperate need of consoling in cookie form, I headed to the buffet. A cobblestone bar would have been better. But do you think the university had sprung for any? A cookie would have to do. Even though I was thin, almost gaunt, I felt a momentary stab of guilt. A woman like Amber would never let a cookie cross her lips. Screw her and a society that judges a girl because she enjoys comfort food.
I grabbed a small plate and a napkin, and was just about to step around a stocky guy student with his back to me so I could get to the cookies when he suddenly turned around and faced me.
"Ellie? Is that you? Funny seeing you here."
I froze. My stomach clenched. I could not believe my bad, stupid luck. This day was going from bad to worse to total disaster. "Schwartz. Didn't know you had the credentials to get into a party like this."
"Funny, Ellie. Ha, ha." His breath stank of beer and garlic. He swayed slightly, like he'd already been pre-gaming a little too hard. "I'm here with my roommate and his dad who's loaded."
I nodded and reached for the cookie tongs. "Good to see you." Not. But it was the best I could do to dismiss him.
"Heard you saw my man Austin during Halloweekend."
I stared at him and gave him a narrow-eyed glare meant to warn him to back off. "Yeah." I shrugged.
"You gave him shit for too long, Ellie. Don't know why he took it." His gaze slid over me, appraising me with an insult in his look, like I was beneath him. Not worth doing.
"Back off, Schwartz. That's my private business. I don't want to talk about it."
He swayed again and bumped into the table, rattling the serving dishes.
"Someone should give you a breathalyzer test before they let you walk home. Bet you blow a two."
"Very funny."
He sneered. Schwartz had held a grudge against me since I refused to sleep with him when he came onto me at a party shortly before Austin and I had started dating. "You really think you're hot shit, don't you?" He raised his voice with every word.
"Stop it, Schwartz. Leave the past alone. Austin and I are good now. Keep your nose out of it." I turned to go before things got uglier. When Schwartz was hammered, there was no reasoning with him. I had never told him my side of the story. I doubted he wanted to hear it anyway. I certainly didn't want to tell it. And if I knew Austin, he'd told a tale that made himself look good.
But Schwartz wouldn't let it drop. He grabbed me by the elbow. "You think you're so high and mighty. Regents' scholar. Dating a rich boy. You're nothing. Just a little cock tease.
"Austin said your mom was a much better lay than you. Hotter, too. He should have done your old lady again and forgotten about you." His voice had risen to a yell, an angry bellow.
The crowd of people around us went silent. My face flamed. At the bar, which wasn't more than fifteen feet away, Logan turned to stare at us. From his expression, I knew he'd heard every word. Everyone had. His was jaw set. His eyes were hard.
He stormed over. Without saying a word, he slammed Schwartz with a right hook that sent him staggering back into the buffet table. Dishes rattled. He landed on his ass in the plate of cookies, crushing them to crumbs. The coffeepot at the end of the table tipped over, soaking the white tablecloth.
I screamed. "Stop! Stop it."
Schwartz let out a roar and hurled profanities at Logan as he struggled to his feet to fight back, knocking over more dishes. Sending the pitcher of cream next to the coffeepot tipping over.
The scar on my left cheek pounded as if it were a fresh wound again. I grabbed Logan's arm as he cocked it to swing again. "Logan, don't. No! Please."
Reckless Secrets by Gina Robinson
(Reckless #2)
Publication date: November 11th 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Synopsis:
Everyone Has a Secret
At nineteen, Ellie Martin is finally happy. Deliriously, delightfully, delectably happy. Her junior year in college, while not without some major issues, is turning out better than she ever dreamed. She’s finally found closure to a question that has bothered her for as long as she can remember. She’s even been able to put some serious distance between herself and her twisted mother. Best of all, she’s in love with the hot, handsome, and mysterious Logan Walker.
If only she could share with Logan the one thing she must keep secret. The one relationship that, if he finds out about it, will blow apart everything that brings her happiness.
Even as Ellie and Logan learn to open up to each other, even as they get closer than they’ve ever gotten to anyone else before, the reckless secrets they’re holding on to may just be the thread that unravels everything.
Purchase:
Direct buy links are not y et available but will be found here come release day:
Book One in the Series:
AUTHOR BIO:
Gina Robinson loves humor, romance, suspense, and spies. Not necessarily in that order. Her latest toy is a video spy pen. She plans on putting her engineering degree to good use by building a tasar out of a disposable camera using the instructions and schematics from The Evil Genius series. Fair warning--she hasn't held a soldering iron in quite a few years.
She writes contemporary romance featuring sexy spies and plenty of adventure and humor. The Spy Who Left Me, the first book in her new Agent Ex series, published by St. Martin's Press, is available now. Diamonds Are Truly Forever, the next book in the series, will be released on May 22, 2012.
Her first two novels are published by Zebra Books, Kensington Publishing.
She's also published a humorous women's fiction novel, Pink Slipper. If you like Sophie Kinsella, you'll enjoy Pink Slipper.
Author Links:
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