A Better Man(9)
Invisibility offered her protection from the vicious words and heartache that often kept her awake at night. It made the mean girls at school look the other way. When someone else became their victim, Lucy felt a slap of cowardly guilt because she was thankful that at least it hadn't been her.
So for someone as good-­looking and popular as Jordan Kincade to ask her to the dance when he could have had any girl in the entire school didn't make sense. It had to have been a trick.
Stubborn to the bone, he hadn't accepted her rejection.
He'd asked her again and again, flashing her a smile so honest and sincere she'd finally chosen to climb out of her cocoon and pretend she could be like any of those other girls. She wanted to believe that he could really see beyond her average looks, her thick glasses, and her thrift store clothes. She'd wanted to trust that he truly wanted to be with her. Not Priscilla O'Neal, who wore the newest fashions and had the ta-­tas to fill out her tight-­fitting blouses. Not Amy Henderson, who had a quick smile to match her fast reputation. And not Leslie Meyer, who was gorgeous and was actually very kind.
After Lucy finally accepted his invitation she'd been so excited she hadn't been able to sleep. She'd broken into her college savings and bought a brand-­new dress for the dance. She'd had her hair professionally cut and styled, and she'd learned how to apply makeup without looking like a streetwalker.
During the graduation ceremony, which her parents had been too drunk to attend, Jordan had caught her eye several times and given her a smile that had sent a crazy spiral of happy through her heart. After the ceremony ended she rushed home to get ready for the dance.
He never showed up.
Wearing the pretty blue dress she'd spent hours selecting, she'd sat in her room until midnight. Waiting. Wondering what she'd done wrong. Wondering if his invitation had just been a cruel prank. Feeling miserable in her teenage heart that she could so easily be disregarded. Feeling sad that Jordan Kincade had disappointed her by being just like all the rest.
Above all, she'd felt stupid for falling into the trap.
Sure, she knew her place in the school hierarchy. She was the quiet, smart girl everyone needed as a tutor but no boy wanted to kiss. She wore glasses, a ponytail of mousy brown hair, and an ever-­present backpack of books slung over her shoulders. At the time she'd been more concerned with studying her way out of her living situation than she'd been with catching anyone's eye.
Some things never changed.
She still preferred glasses to contacts, felt more comfortable pulling her now red and gold highlighted hair back in a ponytail or messy bun, and opted for her trusty Keds over classic pumps. But today, she was a different person. Stronger because of the things she'd lived through. Smarter because she'd found a way to survive and come out the other side in a happy place. She knew exactly where she belonged, and that was teaching and helping students like Nicki. Which was why, right now, she was going to pull on her big girl panties and face the boy who had disappointed her head-­on.
Lucy managed to pull herself together as Jordan removed his sunglasses and slid them to the top of his head. His smile lifted a masculine pair of lips that somehow managed to look cruel and sexy at the same time.
The boy had turned into a man times ten.
Tall and broad-­shouldered, he had a chest that looked a mile wide. Judging by the smooth ripples beneath his snug shirt he was packing muscle, not pounds. Jeans, worn and frayed at the stress points, accented his long muscular legs and trim waist. His longish, nearly black hair gleamed beneath the overhead lights. And his sharp blue eyes focused intently on her.
It was all she could do to keep her heart at a normal pace and her legs solidly beneath her. If ever a man could be described as delicious, Jordan Kincade would be a menu's specialty of the day.
Too bad he was such a jerk.
"Ms. Diamond?" He came forward and stretched out his very large hand. "Jordan Kincade."
And clearly he didn't remember her.
Lucy smiled as a funny little tickle moved through her chest. Maybe this was going to be fun after all. Rarely was she ever given the upper hand or the opportunity to have even the slightest edge.
When he moved closer his warm palm engulfed hers, and her triumph died with a sizzle.
Close up she got a better look. She inhaled his sexy scent of worn leather and warm man. Every square inch of her female DNA perked up like it was party time. She hated to disappoint the little darlings but today was all about helping someone else.