I Choose You by Lopez, Bethany (best fiction novels to read .txt) 📗

Nicole’s knee with her toe to prompt her to keep talking. She put her feet up and stretched out to get more comfortable.

              “So… you were saying, just Jake.” She prompted.

              Nicole looked at Roni, trying to figure out how honest she wanted to be. She had a feeling that she and Roni were going to be friends for a long time. She trusted her enough to tell her the truth.

              “Yeah, I was saying Jake’s the only guy I ever dated, and was engaged to, but I’ve never been with any guy.” Nicole waited for Roni’s reaction.

              She didn’t have to wait long.

              Roni sat up quickly, causing the wine in her glass to slosh around. She looked at Nicole in disbelief.

              “You’re a virgin?”

              “Yes,” Nicole admitted. “My family is very religious and I was raised to believe that sex is something that takes place between a woman and her husband.”

              “Whoa… I can’t believe it,” Roni said shaking her head and chuckling slightly. “You have a body that guys drool over, and you’ve never used it… Wow. I mean, I think it’s totally cool that you made that decision and stuck to it… I just can’t believe it.”

              Nicole laughed at Roni’s candor.

              “It’s never been a problem, or a hard decision,” Nicole explained. “Jake had the same values, so we always planned to wait. The whole time I was in college, I was engaged and since I’ve been here there hasn’t been anyone that I’ve been interested in.”

              “Do you still plan to stick to it?” Roni asked, curious. “I mean, if you did meet someone, or decided to date casually, do you still plan to wait until you are married?”

              “Yes.” Nicole said.

              “Wow,” Roni said again. “I don’t know if I could marry someone without knowing whether or not the sex was good.”

              That made Nicole laugh, and Roni joined in.

              “Wait… I’m not a slut or anything,” Roni clarified. Then she looked back at Nicole and said, “Well, shoot, I guess compared to you, I am.”

              Nicole shook her head fervently, feeling the room spin slightly as she did.

              “No way. Don’t talk like that. You don’t have to compare yourself to me or worry that I’ll judge you. This is a decision I made for myself. Besides, “Nicole said with a wicked grin. “Just because I haven’t had sex, doesn’t mean I haven’t done other stuff.”

              Roni poured some more wine, then scooted dramatically closer with a big laugh.

              “Oh goody, do tell. Make me feel better about myself.”

              Nicole laughed at Roni, then sighed and smiled at her new roommate.

              “I think this is gonna be great. You and me, together in this town… I think we’re going to be lifelong friends.”

              Roni smiled widely and picked up her glass to clink it with Nicole’s.

              “Me too.” She responded. “Now quit procrastinating and get to the good stuff.”

Chapter Three

 

              Kent stretched languidly as he drifted out of sleep the next morning. He’d gone out with Rich for a few more beers after they’d dropped off Roni’s stuff, but he didn’t feel any worse for it.

              He slowly opened one eye, happy for the blackout curtains he’d hung in his bedroom.

              He was not a morning person.

              Kent glanced over at the clock, his forearm brushing against the empty sheets next to him, and he wondered how long it had been since he’d had a woman in his bed.

              Shit, at least since Roni had come to town and stayed in his house. Well, now that she had moved out and he had his space back, he would have to remedy that.

              His mind wandered to Briana, and he wondered how she was doing in Austin. He couldn’t help but smile.

              Although he was sad that she’d taken Colin back and moved away, he couldn’t help but be proud that she’d followed her dreams.

              He could think of her now without feeling like he’d lost her. He knew that she’d never really been his to lose in the first place, but he’d still felt bereft when she’d told him she didn’t want to see him anymore.

              He wasn’t naïve enough to think that he’d loved her, but he knew that he could have, if she’d given him the chance.

              “Oh, well,” he thought as he pushed himself up in the bed and threw his legs over the side. “No use wishing for something that was never going to happen. Time to move on.”

              He sat still for a moment, allowing himself time to wake up, before standing up and heading into the bathroom to take a shower.

              Although he worked at the local newspaper, Kent had always been smart with his money. He’d started saving as a young child, and had received a scholarship to go to school, so he’d worked and saved all through college as well.

              Growing up poor had taught him determination.

              He was determined to never live the way his parents had, to never settle for someone who didn’t love you, and to make sure he was always prepared to care for himself and his twin.

              Kent loved his house. It was a small, two bedroom home on the outskirts of town. He’d paid to have it renovated, and enjoyed the small luxuries that he’d put in the house.

              Even more, he liked knowing that it was bought and paid for, and was solely his.

              Of course, Roni knew that it was available to her whenever she needed, as was anything he owned, but like him, she wanted to make her own way. He was proud of her for that.

              As the hot water from the dual shower heads streamed over his back, he wondered what he would do now that he was a free man again.

              Maybe he would go out that night and try to break his slump.

              Even as the thought crossed his mind, he couldn’t stop the flash of a certain beautiful, busty