Seducing Texas (So not Prince Charming #2)(3)

I hate hurting her. “Shit, I told you to stay put,” I say to Niki.

Niki’s standing beside me now. I wish she’d disappear permanently.

“Leave my friend alone, Shane.” Cyn looks crushed, hurt shining in those fiery dark eyes. “You’re with her?”

Cyn closes her eyes. “Please just go.”

Fuck. “I need to talk to you.”

“I don’t think that’s going to happen,” she says while Niki tugs on my arm.

“We should go,” Niki says in that bitchy tone. “Now.”

“Cyn, please,” I beg.

“You should go,” she says, her face crumpling and her eyes shedding tears, hanging onto those long lush lashes. “Your date is waiting on you.”

I don’t want to hurt her, and I sure as hell don’t want to be with Niki.

Cyn’s friend scoots way too close to her, and I should leave, but I’d rather go home with Cyn. I turn around to go, not touching Niki.

She nags at me the entire way back to her house where I drink myself into oblivion. When she pulls me down into a kiss, my stomach upheaves.





Chapter Cyn


Last night, Shane was with Niki. How could he? It’s like he took a hatchet to my heart. He’s supposed to be focusing on paying his back taxes, and when he returned my mother’s ring, he told me he missed me in his note.

Damn him.

If I weren’t so desperate for money, I wouldn’t go in for the interview with his company today. When I ran into him at the club last night, Shane didn’t even mention my upcoming interview. Maybe his admin didn’t tell him.

I don’t want to think about him. It’s too upsetting, so my younger sister Willa and I wander into one of my favorite designer shops in downtown Austin.

Oh God, this is just more torture.

The cute pair of Jimmy Choo wedges rest in my hands, dying to go home with me and make me feel better—retail therapy. Feed my sister or own these rare beauties.

“Food,” I mutter. I have to take care of Willa. She is far more important to me.

I hope my crazy drug lord uncle has given up on trying to kill me because I’d hate for Willa to accidentally get hurt by him. He’d hired the men who killed my mother and came after me in Alaska.

Willa laughs at me, hugging my shoulder. “You shouldn’t torment yourself looking at clothes,” she says, linking her arm in mine and putting the shoes back. She doesn’t miss shoes. High fashion is not her thing.

After selling my Porsche, I paid for her tuition, but I forgot about home, car, and health insurance. We have enough for our next few house payments, but we’ll be strapped. I can’t imagine going in for food stamps. I’ll have to dress down for Social Services, wear an old pair of Louboutins.

“I got a part-time job at Le Petite, and I get a twenty percent discount,” Willa says. It’s a haute couture shop downtown.

“I don’t really want you to work and jeopardize your scholarship.” After losing our fortune, she needs it now.

“My grades won’t go down,” she says. “You can’t believe the markups in the store. They could feed China on the overage.”

I sigh. They have beautiful clothes. It may be a while before I can buy from a designer store, and the withdrawal will probably kill me, but I love my little sister, and I have to take care of her.

“Wish me luck,” I say. “I apply for the accounting job at Red Sky this afternoon.”

Willa squeezes my arm. “You’ll get to see Shane today. He’s so adorable.”

“He was with Niki last night,” I say. I still feel like his dartboard.

As soon as he returned to Austin, Shane should’ve come by and at least given me a pity f*ck. I miss sleeping beside him, even in his tent in the cold, wet Alaskan wilderness. It was kind of romantic lying under the stars curled in his arms, and as miserable as the weather was I didn’t mind because I was with him. My hiking boots are finally broken in, so if he asked, I’d return to tramp in the beautiful mountains with him. I swear I would.

“He must have a good reason,” Willa says.

“What could that be? I hope it isn’t to give her that engagement ring he bought for her before she dumped him. I don’t want to think about him. He’ll get a piece of my mind during the interview.”

Or maybe I’ll give him something else that’s good for both of us.

Willa smirks. “That will get you hired,” she says sarcastically. “We need the money. Remember?” She closes her eyes. “If Mom were here, we wouldn’t be in this position.”

I touch her cheek. “I will take care of you, Willa.”

She sniffs, and a tear falls. “I miss her.”

I hate that I’m not doing a really good job of caring for her so far. “We’ll go see Mom today before my interview.”

“Okay.”

We walk into the grocery store to buy fresh vegetables and fruit. Willa and I started an herb garden on our porch along with tomatoes and other veggies to help with our food costs. We planted flowers from seeds, including lilies, in remembrance of Mom. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss her.

After we drive home and put the groceries away, I grab a blanket to sit on the grass and pack our lunch. We try to visit Mom every week.