Geek Girls Don't Date Dukes Read Online Free PDF

complete stranger had roused this much ire,
    and if he was honest, interest, made his blood bubble into
    an angry froth.
    It was several moments later when the red fog of frus-
    tration left his brain that he looked down at the Hessian.
    Blinking in surprise, he realized he’d mangled it. The
    boot’s toe pointed toward the floor. A costly pair of His
    Grace’s boots had been ruined because Avery had not
    kept his wits about him. He’d allowed her to divert his
    focus, a lapse in vigilance that could have had unforgiv-
    able consequences.
    Letting the boot drop to the floor, Avery looked up at
    the beamed ceiling. Drawing air deeply into his chest, he
    blew it out through pursed lips, concentrating on slowing
    the too- rapid thumping of his heart. The prayers that his
    pious father had beat into him at a young age ran through
    his head as Avery searched for a semblance of calm.
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    Gina Lamm
    Geek Girls Don’t Date Dukes
    “Mr. Russell?”
    The sweet, feminine voice with its altogether odd
    accent ran roughshod over his attempt at peace. His
    pulse surged, and he fought to maintain his focus on the
    wooden beams above his head.
    “Mr. Russell, I’m really sorry about before. I was
    wondering if you could help me.”
    He didn’t respond. Breathe in, hold it in…
    “Oh, are you praying? I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’ll
    wait until you’re done.” She sat on the narrow bench
    beside him, her soft thigh pressing innocently against his
    knee. From the corner of his eye, he watched her bow
    her head and lace her delicate fingers together in her lap.
    Her long eyelashes fluttered closed.
    She looked the very picture of piety, but it was impos-
    sible not to notice the way her breasts swelled above the
    neckline of her dress with each breath. The way her body
    bled heat into his. The way she smelled of sweet, exotic
    spices. All thoughts of calm and prayer forgotten, Avery
    leaned closer, trying to draw another breath of her into
    his lungs.
    Her eyes popped open, and he jerked backward in
    surprise. “Oh good, you’re done.” She smiled, a genuine
    expression that made her brilliant blue eyes sparkle with
    inner fire. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you, but I think
    we got off on the wrong foot earlier.”
    He stared at her without a word. What more was
    there to be said?
    “It was totally my fault. I really hope you can forgive
    me.” She looked down at her lap, and Avery fought the
    bolt of protectiveness that struck him when her smile
    faltered. “It’s just that I was so excited about being here
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    and thinking I was meeting my perfect guy. I didn’t
    think about how it would affect you, especially consid-
    ering I screwed up.”
    Avery tried to swallow, but his throat was suddenly
    parched. His voice, when it came, was dry and cracked.
    “I took no offense. But you must realize how ludicrous
    this appears.” He wished he could bite the words
    back— her opinion was a commodity he hadn’t realized
    he valued— but once said, it was too late.
    She picked at an imaginary thread on her skirt. He
    wished he could reach out and rub a finger across the fair
    skin of her wrist. A bitter laugh echoed in his head at the
    impossible thought. Despite how he was drawn to her,
    she was a beautiful stranger to him, nothing more.
    “It was wrong, and I’m sorry. And I shouldn’t even
    ask, but you’re the only person I know here.” When she
    looked up at him, her eyes were as blue and guileless as a
    midsummer sky. “I need your help if you can forgive me.”
    Before he could voice the protest that lay heavy on
    his lips, her small hand covered his scarred one. His heart
    stuttered in his chest as he fought to breathe, to keep his
    head, to not jerk away. She couldn’t know that hers was
    the first hand to touch him so gently since his mother
    had passed away all those years