Rattle his cage, p.28
Rattle His Cage,
p.28
She’s not so much that way anymore. She’s still armored up, but she’s softened. Not that she’s all warm and fuzzy, never that. But I’ve seen some glimpses beneath her tough exterior, more and more over time and as much as Horns will deny it, she’s got a really soft heart.
I just wish I knew who hurt her so bad, or maybe it’s because she was in the system for twelve years. That alone could probably make a person cautious and slow to trust. I don’t even know how she landed in the system when she was six. Maybe it was her family that hurt her so bad and made her distrustful of the rest of the world, which breaks my heart. My parents may drive me batty, but they’d never hurt me, or do anything that would cause them to lose their kids.
I’d sure like to wrap her up in cotton wool and keep her safe and remove all of her past hurts, but I doubt Horns would ever let me. She’d fight light a wildcat the moment I even tried. The only affection I’ve ever seen her show to anyone is to Miguel, but even that’s limited. She allows an arm around a shoulder for a quick affectionate squeeze and he’s patted her head. Hell, if I patted her head she’d probably bite me.
But the last thing I’d want to do is pat her head. That’s what you do to a cute kid. She is so not a kid, but a sexy as hell young woman.
Eighteen today in fact. And she’s not like any of the girls I’ve ever known which became painfully clear after hanging with my friends these past couple of days and I had to face what my gut already recognized. Nina may be just eighteen, but she’s got a world of maturity and common sense above the girls that are my age and I’ve known since we were all dragging our diapers on the ground.
Hell, she got through high school with a nearly perfect GPA while working two jobs, playing rugby and soccer, and graduated early. She pushes herself and doesn’t let up. Ever. Nobody else has her drive. Maybe it’s because she has nobody to take care of her. She can’t afford to sit back and take it easy for a day. I’m not even sure she’d know how to if given a choice. Hell, she doesn’t even own a phone or computer. That girl is focused, has plans and nothing is going to stand in her way of what she wants.
I’ve always admired Nina, but she’s no longer just another girl at the gym. She’s my friend and I’ve fallen hard for her. I didn’t even see it coming until it was there.
And, she has no fucking clue about how I feel and I have no idea what to do about it.
I’d ask Miguel because I ask him everything, but I can’t talk to him about Nina. She’s like a granddaughter to him, put up on a pedestal to be seen and not touched. If the old man had any clue what I was thinking or wanting, he’d kick my sorry ass out of the gym and lock the door behind me.
But damn, she’s prettier than the sunrise, with her light brown hair and light green eyes, pert nose and the most kissable lips God has ever created.
Lips I haven’t kissed. Lips I don’t dare kiss. Lips I can only dream about, like the rest of her. Slim, strong and toned with legs that any man would love to have around them.
And, they’ll never be around me. She’s my friend and I love her, but if I cross that line and let her know how I feel, I will lose her and having a part of Nina is better than not having her at all.
* * *
ALSO BY JANE CHARLES
* * *
Contemporary
* * *
Baxter Boys
Rattled: Rattled #1 (Baxter Boys Series ~ Rattled)
Still Rattled: Rattled #2 (Baxter Boys Series ~ Rattled)
The Rattle Box: Rattled #3 (Baxter Boys Series ~ Rattled)
Rattle His Cage: Rattled #4 (Baxter Boys Series ~ Rattled)
All Horns and Rattles: Rattled #4 (Baxter Boys Series ~ Rattled) coming soon
* * *
Baxter Academy
Valentine Wishes: The Legacy #1 (Baxter Academy Series ~ The Legacy)
Colors of You: The Academy #1 (Baxter Academy Series ~ The Academy)
Shadows of Memories: The Academy # 2 (Baxter Academy Series ~ The Academy)
Casting Doubt: The Academy # 3 (Baxter Academy Series ~ The Academy)
Between the Lines: The Academy #4 (Baxter Academy Series ~ The Academy)
* * *
Historical Romances
The Wiggons’ School for Elegant Young Ladies Series
To Walk in the Sun
Ghosts from the Past
The Witching Hour
* * *
The Tenacious Trents
Compromised for Christmas (novella)
A Misguided Lord
A Perfect Gentleman
A Lass for Christmas (novella)
A Reluctant Rake
Lady Revealed
Lady Disguised (novella)
Lady Concealed
A Tenacious Trents Wedding (novella)
Lady Admired
* * *
Tenacious Trent Connected Novellas
Landing a Laird
Devil in Her Dreams
* * *
Muses
Her Muse, Lord Patrick (novella)
Her Muse, His Magic (novella)
Her Muse, Her David
Her Muse, His Grace
* * *
A Gentleman’s Guide to Once Upon a Time Series
His Impetuous Debutante
His Contrary Bride
His (Not so) Sensible Miss
His Christmas Match
* * *
The Spirited Storms
Christmas Spirits
Ruined by A Lady
Weathering Captain Storm
* * *
To Love a Governess Series
Sacked – Regency Short
Handfasted – Regency Novella
Ruined – Regency Short
* * *
About Jane
* * *
Jane Charles is a USA Today Bestselling author who has lived in the Midwest her entire life. As a child she would more likely be found outside with a baseball than a book in her hand. In fact, Jane hated reading until she was sixteen. Out of boredom on a long road trip she borrowed her older sister’s historical romance and fell in love. Eventually she penned one of the many stories that were always in her head and discovered her passion for writing. Jane is an author of both historical and contemporary and blames being a Gemini on why she can’t pick one over the other.
JaneCharlesAuthor.com
Jane can be contacted at: janecharles522@gmail.com
Twitter and FB: JaneACharles
About Jane Charles
Jane Charles is a USA Today Bestselling author who has lived in the Midwest her entire life. As a child she would more likely be found outside with a baseball than a book in her hand. In fact, Jane hated reading until she was sixteen. Out of boredom on a long road trip she borrowed her older sister’s historical romance and fell in love with reading. She long ago lost count of how many novels she has read over the years and her love for them never died. Along with romance she has a passion for history and the two soon combined when she penned her first historical romance. What turned into a hobby became a passion. In addition to historical romances, she has been pulled to write contemporary and began penning her new series, Baxter Academy of Arts. She intends to continue writing both historical and contemporary.
* * *
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Connect with Jane
@JaneACharles
JaneACharles
www.janecharlesauthor.com
janecharles522@gmail.com
New Adult Romance by Jane Charles
Baxter Boys
Rattled: Rattled #1 (Baxter Boys Series ~ Rattled)
Still Rattled: Rattled #2 (Baxter Boys Series ~ Rattled)
The Rattle Box: Rattled #3 (Baxter Boys Series ~ Rattled)
Rattle His Cage: Rattled #4 (Baxter Boys Series ~ Rattled)
All Horns and Rattles: Rattled #4 (Baxter Boys Series ~ Rattled) coming soon
* * *
Baxter Academy
Valentine Wishes: The Legacy #1 (Baxter Academy Series ~ The Legacy)
Colors of You: The Academy #1 (Baxter Academy Series ~ The Academy)
Shadows of Memory: The Academy #2 (Baxter Academy Series ~ The Academy)
Casting Doubt: The Academy #3 (Baxter Academy Series ~ The Academy)
Between the Lines: The Academy #4 (Baxter Academy Series ~ The Academy)
Historical Romance by Jane Charles
The Tenacious Trents
Compromised For Christmas
Landing a Laird
A Misguided Lord
A Perfect Gentlemen
Devil in Her Dreams
A Lass For Christmas
A Reluctant Rake
Lady Revealed
Lady Disguised
Lady Concealed
A Tenacious Trent’s Wedding
Lady Admired
The Spirited Storms
Christmas Spirits
Ruined by a Lady
Weathering Captain Storm
Wiggon’s School For Elegant Young Ladies
To Walk in the Sun
Ghosts From the Past
The Witching Hour
A Gentleman’s Guide to Once Upon a Time
His Impetuous Debutante
His Contrary Bride
His Not So Sensible Miss
His Christmas Match
Muses
Her Muse, Lord Patrick
Her Muse, Her Magic
Her Muse, Her David
Her Muse, His Grace
Jane Charles, Rattle His Cage
