Read Online A SEAL's Vow (SEALs of Chance Creek Book 2) by Cora Seton - Free Book Online
Authors: Cora Seton
Ads: Link
the trick.
When he spotted Nora negotiating the rough ground, a plate in one hand, her long skirts held up with the other, he motioned her over. “Sit here beside me.” He patted the log.
“I was going to eat with Savannah and Avery.” But she hesitated long enough to give him an opening.
“Come on, Nora—we need to talk.” He led her to a log set a little apart from the others and waited until she sighed and sat down. “How are you doing?”
“Fine.” Nora’s stiff answer let him know that wasn’t true.
“Did Renata come after you? She grilled me like an Italian sausage.”
“Me, too.” Despite his quip, Nora didn’t look at him. Instead she concentrated on her quiche as she took a bite of the crust.
“What did she ask you?”
Nora didn’t answer at first. She took another bite and chewed it. Finally swallowing, she said, “About you. Whether or not we are an item , as she put it.” Her tone was so cold, Clay knew he had a lot of damage to repair.
“What did you tell her?”
Nora looked at him sidelong. “The truth. We aren’t.”
Ouch . Clay guessed he shouldn’t have expected any other answer, no matter what had passed between them the night of Boone and Riley’s wedding. “I’d like to be. You know that, right?”
Nora shook her head sharply. “I’m not looking for a relationship, and I’m definitely not interested in marrying you.”
“Why not?” He set his plate down, his appetite gone. This was worse than he’d expected. Surely Nora knew he didn’t want things to go this way.
“For a lot of reasons.”
“Have you seen this?” Jericho approached them, his tablet in his hand again. Clay was beginning to think the thing was surgically attached to his friend. “They’ve already posted videos on the site. I didn’t think they were going to do that for at least a week.” He lowered himself onto the log between them, oblivious to the tension in the air, and Clay snatched his plate out of the way just in time before Jericho sat on it. “There are a ton of comments about you two.”
Nora leaned in to see, and Clay fought back his impatience, knowing this couldn’t be good.
“‘Clay and Nora, Perfect Together? Or Perfectly Awful?’” she read aloud. “What is this?”
“It’s a poll,” Jericho said. “Visitors to the site get to vote on if they think you should be together. It’s about fifty-fifty right now.”
Clay growled and snatched the tablet out of his hand. “Fuck them.”
Nora grabbed it away from Clay. She scanned the site. “Listen to this.” Her brows drew together in an angry slant. “‘Nora Ridgeway just wants Clay’s land,’” she read from the comments.
“What?” Taking the tablet back, Clay looked again and saw that Renata’s team had filled the site with new content. There were new photos, excerpts from interviews and fun facts .
And then there were the pop quizzes and opinion questions, such as, “How Sustainable Are You?” There was a ten-question quiz to get an answer. “In a Tent, Or Under the Stars?” That one had elicited a number of dicey responses. “Who’s the Hottest Navy SEAL?” Clay scrolled quickly by when he noticed Jericho was winning.
He found the post Nora had referred to and scanned through the comments. Some of them were nice enough, with people pulling for them to be together. Others took sides. “Clay’s too good for Nora.” “Nora should find a man who owns a real house.”
Interspersed among them were nasty comments that set Clay’s teeth on edge. “To hell with Nora. What about Savannah? She’s hotter.” “Clay’s just using her.” “Good on ya, Clay. The quiet ones are the best in bed.”
What kind of people wrote things like that? Who even cared what happened on a television show? For all they knew, the whole thing was staged.
None of that mattered; if it bugged him, he could only imagine how Nora felt. “Jesus.”
Nora kept quiet. Jericho, finally taking in the atmosphere
When he spotted Nora negotiating the rough ground, a plate in one hand, her long skirts held up with the other, he motioned her over. “Sit here beside me.” He patted the log.
“I was going to eat with Savannah and Avery.” But she hesitated long enough to give him an opening.
“Come on, Nora—we need to talk.” He led her to a log set a little apart from the others and waited until she sighed and sat down. “How are you doing?”
“Fine.” Nora’s stiff answer let him know that wasn’t true.
“Did Renata come after you? She grilled me like an Italian sausage.”
“Me, too.” Despite his quip, Nora didn’t look at him. Instead she concentrated on her quiche as she took a bite of the crust.
“What did she ask you?”
Nora didn’t answer at first. She took another bite and chewed it. Finally swallowing, she said, “About you. Whether or not we are an item , as she put it.” Her tone was so cold, Clay knew he had a lot of damage to repair.
“What did you tell her?”
Nora looked at him sidelong. “The truth. We aren’t.”
Ouch . Clay guessed he shouldn’t have expected any other answer, no matter what had passed between them the night of Boone and Riley’s wedding. “I’d like to be. You know that, right?”
Nora shook her head sharply. “I’m not looking for a relationship, and I’m definitely not interested in marrying you.”
“Why not?” He set his plate down, his appetite gone. This was worse than he’d expected. Surely Nora knew he didn’t want things to go this way.
“For a lot of reasons.”
“Have you seen this?” Jericho approached them, his tablet in his hand again. Clay was beginning to think the thing was surgically attached to his friend. “They’ve already posted videos on the site. I didn’t think they were going to do that for at least a week.” He lowered himself onto the log between them, oblivious to the tension in the air, and Clay snatched his plate out of the way just in time before Jericho sat on it. “There are a ton of comments about you two.”
Nora leaned in to see, and Clay fought back his impatience, knowing this couldn’t be good.
“‘Clay and Nora, Perfect Together? Or Perfectly Awful?’” she read aloud. “What is this?”
“It’s a poll,” Jericho said. “Visitors to the site get to vote on if they think you should be together. It’s about fifty-fifty right now.”
Clay growled and snatched the tablet out of his hand. “Fuck them.”
Nora grabbed it away from Clay. She scanned the site. “Listen to this.” Her brows drew together in an angry slant. “‘Nora Ridgeway just wants Clay’s land,’” she read from the comments.
“What?” Taking the tablet back, Clay looked again and saw that Renata’s team had filled the site with new content. There were new photos, excerpts from interviews and fun facts .
And then there were the pop quizzes and opinion questions, such as, “How Sustainable Are You?” There was a ten-question quiz to get an answer. “In a Tent, Or Under the Stars?” That one had elicited a number of dicey responses. “Who’s the Hottest Navy SEAL?” Clay scrolled quickly by when he noticed Jericho was winning.
He found the post Nora had referred to and scanned through the comments. Some of them were nice enough, with people pulling for them to be together. Others took sides. “Clay’s too good for Nora.” “Nora should find a man who owns a real house.”
Interspersed among them were nasty comments that set Clay’s teeth on edge. “To hell with Nora. What about Savannah? She’s hotter.” “Clay’s just using her.” “Good on ya, Clay. The quiet ones are the best in bed.”
What kind of people wrote things like that? Who even cared what happened on a television show? For all they knew, the whole thing was staged.
None of that mattered; if it bugged him, he could only imagine how Nora felt. “Jesus.”
Nora kept quiet. Jericho, finally taking in the atmosphere
Similar Books
