Page 5 of Dating the Rebel
What the hell was Grant Snyder? And why was she still so damn curious about him? Curiosity had done nothing but get her in trouble in the past, like when she’d gotten suspicious about where one of her creepy stepfathers sneaked out of the house to go to and followed him to a strip club. If she hadn’t taken pictures, Mother probably wouldn’t have believed her. Her mother was not a good judge of character; Miranda was. To stay out of trouble, she could not risk being curious about Grant.
“So you and my sister have talked about me?” he asked, and he moved closer and leaned over the desk she’d put between them. Amusement glinted in his dark blue eyes, letting her know that he was entirely aware that she’d purposely put that barrier between them.
Did he know why? Did he realize that she was really attracted to him?
He’d teased her about having a crush on him. But how could he know?
She’d always been so careful to keep it from him, and to keep it from Blair, too. She hadn’t wanted her best friend thinking that she was using her, like so many other girls had, to get closer to Grant.
Only her sisters had discovered the truth when they’d discovered where she’d hidden her diary. Damn them.
Damn him...
And that knowing grin curving his mouth—that mouth she still wanted to kiss. She wanted to know how his beard would feel against her skin, how his lips would taste.
Damn him...
“You know Blair and I are best friends,” she said. “We talk about all our problems.”
His grin widened. “I am not a problem.”
He was for her. “Maybe not for your sister...”
“Come on, Miranda, you and I haven’t seen each other in years. You should be happy I’m here and that I want to patronize your business.”
“Oh, you patronized me enough over the years,” she assured him. “I don’t need you doing it now. In fact—” She glanced at her watch again. “A potential new member should be arriving soon.” And she didn’t want the young woman to think she could datehim.
“A potential new member is standing right in front of you now,” he persisted. “What’s the deal, Miranda? Why won’t you let me join? Are you really hanging on to some grudge from the past? You have to realize that whatever I said or did back then was just because I was trying to protect my sister.”
Blair was a former fighter pilot. She was strong and tall and fierce. She didn’t need protection from anyone.
“From me?”
He arched a reddish-blond eyebrow over his left eye. “Uh, damn right. You always got her into trouble.”
Heat rushed to her face. “I—I hadn’t meant to...” There had just been so many things she’d wanted to do, and she hadn’t wanted to do them alone.
“But like I’m saying, that’s all in the past,” Grant continued. “I’ve let it go. Why can’t you?”
She narrowed her eyes and studied his handsome face. “I was warned that you weren’t very happy with me over Blair joining the service.”
He shrugged his broad shoulders. “That was back when she was upset about it, about dating, but she’s happy now. That’s what I want, Miranda. To be happy.”
Suspicious of his claim, she narrowed her eyes even more until she could barely see him through the thin slits. “You’re not happy now?”
He shrugged again. “Sure, the business is good. Life is good. But you know...sometimes you just want someone to share all that with.”
She knew. Occasionally she felt a twinge of loneliness herself. “And you need help finding someone?” she asked skeptically.
He grinned. “Are you saying that I’m too good-looking to have to join your dating service?”
She snorted at his arrogance. “You’ve met Matteo Rinaldi, right?” He was the billionaire she’d set up with her friend, which had caused an issue with her sisters. Setting up their most eligible member with a nonpaying member...
But Miranda had just known that they were meant to be together. Soul mates...
She swallowed a sigh. She never let anyone see her romantic side—although it had probably slipped out from time to time with her friend. It wasn’t something she was proud of, though. And having inherited that from her mother made her think she’d probably inherited other bad traits, like her taste in men and her penchant for getting married many times.
Grant snorted now. “I guess he’s all right...”
