Page 5 of Deserving Cora
Cora was disgusted. At Eleanor, the auction, and humanity in general. She’d had enough. Eleanor had won, like she always did. Bryson could go out with the witch and marry her, for all she cared. There were other men at The Refuge who would work just as well for her needs.
Of course, she didn’t feel the attraction toward them that she did for Bryson, but whatever.
She hadn’t wanted to admit to herself that she was drawn to the man she’d bid on. She’d studied his short bio on The Refuge’s website until she’d memorized it, then dug further, finding as much information as she could about him on the Internet. In one particular picture, the tattoos on his arms had been on full display. He looked nothing like his friends, which intrigued Cora. He had an edge, which had always appealed to her. She didn’t want a pretty boy. She wanted someone who made people walk the other way when they saw him. Someone who wouldn’t put up with anyone talking shit.
Someone who looked as if they could, andwould, protect their woman.
Internally rolling her eyes, Cora headed for the ballroom’s exit. Romance wasn’t for her. She wasn’t the kind of woman men found attractive, which had been hammered home more than once in her lifetime. She didn’t need a man to rely on, anyway. They’d only ever disappointed her. She had several foster dads and siblings who’d proven that true.
There was only one person in her entire life who’d never let her down. Lara. And Cora would do whatever it took to help her now.
CHAPTERTHREE
Pipe ground his teeth together so hard, it felt as if he would crack a tooth. He couldn’t believe the things the redheaded bitch was saying.
He hadn’t even recognized the woman in the jeans and sweatshirt until the redhead had said enough for him to realize she was the woman in the black dress. The one who’d been outbid.
His blood ran cold at hearing the awful things the redhead—Eleanor, apparently—had said about veterans. What she truly thought about them. Pipe knew there were people in the world who thought the way she did, but he honestly hadn’t expected any of them to be here tonight, or to actually bid.
And to hear that she had no intention of actually paying the money she’d promised was the last straw. Every muscle in his body was tense, and he was two seconds away from going off on the bitch.
“Easy, Pipe,” Owl said, grabbing his arm.
“Take care of this for me?” he said to his friend.
“Of course. I’ll make sure the organizers know she has no intention of honoring her bid, thus voiding your responsibility to take her to dinner. I’ll donate the money in The Refuge’s name. Go on. Go after the other one.”
Pipe should’ve been surprised that Owl knew exactly where his head was at, but he wasn’t. They might not have served together, but they’d worked side-by-side for years. “Thanks, man.”
“Shut up,” he said, tightening his fingers around Pipe’s arm for a moment. “For the record…I like her.” He nodded toward the woman—Cora, the bitch had called her—who’d just reached the doors to the ballroom.
Something within Pipe loosened at hearing his friend’s approval. It made no sense, except that he valued Owl’s opinion. Nodding, he took a moment to send a glare Eleanor’s way, before turning and jogging toward the exit, where Cora had disappeared.
He was supposed to go back up onstage after the last man had been auctioned off, for the final announcement of how much money had been earned and for the closing remarks, but Pipe felt no guilt about bugging out early. He couldn’t lose sight of the woman who’d not only stood up for him, and seemed to honestly care about the veterans she was here to support, but who he’d found himself strangely attracted to since he’d first seen her standing near the stage, looking so out of place.
He had to talk to her. Find out why she’d seemed so desperate to win a date. He needed to know her story.
He wasn’t sure why, but he had the bizarre thought that if she slipped away, he’d somehow lose something precious.
Looking both ways in the hall outside the ballroom, Pipe didn’t see any sign of Cora. She’d been moving quickly, and he instinctively knew he had only seconds to make a decision on which way to go to find her. Left or right?
Right. Toward the lobby. He had a feeling Cora wasn’t staying in this fancy hotel.
To his relief, his instincts were proven correct when he rounded the corner. He saw Cora across the lobby, talking to a man standing at the entrance to the hotel. He was smiling at her, and as Pipe headed in their direction, Cora reached into her back pocket and hand the man some money.
Seeing her tip the doorman made Pipe’s respect for her rise even higher.
He’d heard the women’s entire conversation, and the only thing that bitch Eleanor was correct about was the quality of the clothes Cora had been wearing. He wasn’t an expert, but even he knew her dress from earlier wasn’t designer. The jeans and sweatshirt she now had on looked comfortable and well-worn. Yes, she’d bid quite a bit of money for him, but he had a feeling that every cent had been hard-won.
Pipe picked up the pace, jogging toward her. He made enough noise as he neared that both Cora and the doorman turned to look at him. Pipe approved when the man stepped in front of Cora as if to protect her. He wasn’t going to hurt her, far from it, but neither of them knew that.
He slowed as he approached and subtly held his hands out, making sure they both saw he was unarmed. Which wasn’t exactly true, but he also wasn’t packing anything that could harm them.
“Cora, right?” he asked.
She looked surprised. Then wary. “Yeah?”
“I’m Pipe, as you probably know. Can I walk you home?”
