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be upset if he didn t take her upstairs.
Someone cleared their throat harshly nearby.
Startled, her nerves dancing on hot coals, Sam s heart stopped. Then it
sped up to mach speed. Gasping for air, she tore herself from Dylan s arms
and stared at the intruder with eyes so wide they ached.
Girl, you re surely going to break our mama s heart. You promised
me you wouldn t go and fall in love with that man and here you re ready to
rip his clothes off right in front of me. Shantel clamped her fists on her slim
hips in her most hostile stance. I don t believe you.
Sam tried to gather her scattered wits.
Dylan s brows drew together. You promised her what?
That she wouldn t get romantic with a whi-- Shantel cut off her
words and splayed her hands wide.
Dylan swore under his breath. He looked from Shantel to Sam, and
asked, Is this why you ve been fighting me? Because of your family?
Abashed, feeling rotten and more confused than ever, Sam wrung her
hands together. That s only part of the reason. I told you....
Oh, I remember.
The sarcasm dripping from his lips felt like acid raining down.
I m the wrong skin tone and I m an uneducated loser. The double
whammy. Dylan started to stomp away, muttering under his breath. Then
with an exclamation, he turned back to her. For your information, all those
appointments I ve been going to are really high school classes. I took them
for you. I thought maybe I d impress you by getting my high school
diploma, maybe even taking some college classes.
Stunned, Sam didn t know what to say. Words stuck in her throat so
she just stared as his words reverberated in her head. He d gone back to
school for her. For her&
Dylan....
Dylan punched his fist in the air. No. Let me finish. He paced the
floor like a caged lion, ready to leap on his prey at the first hint of
provocation. I m building a successful business. I have more jobs than I can
do on my own so I now employ six men. I pay a ton of taxes. I m making it
just fine without a fancy education, but I still don t measure up, do I?
FORBIDDEN FRUIT Ashley Ladd 91
His fury hit her full force in the face and she was knocked back by its
fierceness. Did he love or despise her? She d swear it was some of both. I-I
didn t know. I....
Shantel tried to pull her away. You don t need this. Men are all
alike.
Sam s rapidly growing anger turned on her sister. Butt out. We have
to figure this out on our own.
Shantel paled and backed away slowly. I ll be right upstairs if you
need me. Just call out.
Don t leave on my account. Dylan marched past them. I was just
going. I have a business to run.
Sam started to follow but Shantel hissed at her, Don t you go chasing
after him. Not after all his lies.
Sam gulped back a sob. Why hadn t he told her? He used to confide
everything in her, not just events, but his most fervent hopes and dreams.
And now he d kept two such very important landmarks in his life from her
only to spill out in anger.
You have my number. Call when you need more house repairs. He
slammed out the door, knocking her prized oil painting off the foyer wall.
Not on her life &
FORBIDDEN FRUIT Ashley Ladd 92
Chapter Nine
Nina barged into Sam s house and flung her arms around Sam, almost
squeezing her to death. How am I going to survive without you at school?
Sam squeezed Nina back having powerfully missed her. I m still in
the area.
But you re not at the school. I ll have to put up with that insufferable
Brady alone every day, Nina whispered sticking her finger down her throat
in gag-me fashion and made retching noises.
Sam chortled and patted her friend s back consolingly. I know.
You re strong. Just ignore her. You can call and email me as much as you
like. And we ll hang out after class.
I ll fill your box with emails. You ll get a bellyful from me.
Shantel wandered into the room. She stuck out her hand in greeting
and fixed a large smile on her face. Hi. I m Shantel, Sam s little sister.
Sam returned the smile. Sis, I d like you to meet my good friend
Nina Rodriguez. She teaches history at my school. I mean at my old school.
Nina juggled the box in her arms and stuck out her hand in greeting.
It s nice to finally meet you. Of course, you look like twins so I d know
you were sisters. What do you think about that storm brewing out in the
Caribbean?
Storm? This late in October? Shantel darted an alarmed glance out
the back window at the sunny blue skies. What storm?
It s a tropical depression at the moment but the weather station s
predicting she ll be upgraded to a Tropical Storm. Her name will be Wanda
when she strengthen. The projected path leads her straight to Fort
Lauderdale.
Sam blinked and rewound over everything she knew about storms. I
guess it s possible to have one so late in the year, but it s so unusual.
Nina screwed up her lips and followed her into the living room. She
stared out at the canal. The past couple of years have been unusual.
Shantel paced the room with her hands linked behind her back. It s
almost Halloween. I thought it was safe to come down here now.
FORBIDDEN FRUIT Ashley Ladd 93
Sam turned on the TV and flipped through the stations until she
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