Page 30 of Bossy Trouble

I frowned then, offended at the implication. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

She shrugged. “Whatever you think it means.”

“I’ve never threatened you in my life,” I said, feeling disgusted at the thought. “Neither have I physically assaulted you, have I?”

She wrapped a hand around herself, not answering.

That made me even angrier. “You’re going to tell me that everything we did wasn’t a hundred percent consensual?”

“Donovan.” She sighed, rubbing her hands over her face tiredly. “Why are you here?”

“I already told you why I’m here. Twice actually. You must not be paying attention.”

“Yes, I was. You asked me what my problem was, but I have not the slightest clue what you’re talking about.”

“I’m talking about the fact that you seemed to have turned yourself into a little mouse while you were away.” I moved toward her, and she took a step back. Not enough to avoid me getting in her space, though. She stared up at me with apprehension as I loomed over her.

“Because,” I continued in a low voice, “the old Georgia would not have taken half the shit I put her through today.”

Her lips tightened, and heat flashed in her eyes. Of course, my dick got hard at the sight of that, but I ignored it. That was not the point of this visit today. Not at this very moment, anyway.

Although, the closer we stood, the more that seemed to change.

“So you were trying to get me mad on purpose,” she said, low and quiet.

“Of course,” I said exasperatedly. “Like it wasn’t obvious. The real question is why you didn’t fight back.”

“What’s the point?” she shot back. “You’re bigger than me, richer than me, and more powerful than me. What’s the point of fighting a battle I can’t win?”

Aggravation poured through me, and it set my teeth on edge. That was defeatist talk. I never thought I would hear Georgia say something like that.

Even as a scholarship kid in a school full of wealthy snobs, Georgia never felt like she was inferior to anyone. She always had this aura about her, like she could take on anyone who came for her, and that was all there was to it. It was one of the traits that attracted me to her in the first place.

Even when we argued, she always gave each battle her all and recovered quickly when she stumbled. Georgia was a sore loser, but she was never someone who let life get her down for long. She’d always been too vibrant for that.

“So you’ve turned into a coward,” I stated.

A mixture of hurt and fury flashed across her face, but it disappeared quickly, replaced by a cool acceptance. “If that’s what you want to call it, then fine. But I’m not fighting with you anymore. Because I’m tired of losing.”

The wounded, defeated look in her eye did something to me. It made me want to yell and rip something apart with my bare hands. I was furious, but I wasn’t exactly sure who I was mad at.

Perhaps the person who had taken my Georgia away and replaced her with a coward.

“Who was it?” I demanded. “Who did this to you?” It had to be someone she knew during the five years I didn’t see her. Maybe a boyfriend or old lover. Someone who beat her self-esteem down and told her that she couldn’t win and should stop fighting.

She stared at me for a few minutes incredulously. Then, a little disbelieving smirk kicked up the side of her lips.

“Do you remember that night we all went camping? When we talked?” she asked.

I did.

It had been in my third year at St. Peters and her second year. It was one of the first times Georgia and I spent time alone together without Garrett being there. All three of us went camping, along with a few other friends from school. Garrett and the rest had gone to fetch some wood while I set up the tepee. Georgia went with them but came back before the rest, stating that she had a tummy ache and needed to lie down.

I went to check on her immediately as she lay on her mat.

When I got there and saw her moaning in pain, I couldn’t help but sit down, awkwardly patting her back.

It was because she looked so miserable, curled into herself on that mat, that I felt a pang in my chest. More than anything, I wanted to get the pain to stop because every groan was hitting me right in the gut.

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