Broken Vow (Brutal Birthright, #5)

by Sophie Lark

I felt her pulling away from me as we danced. I saw that resentment flare up in her eyes again, that refusal to let herself enjoy something that she was obviously loving just a few minutes before. I don’t understand her. But goddamn do I want to. I want it more than anything. I want to crack the code of her psyche. I want to win her over. I want to make her mine. And it’s not just ‘cause it’s a challenge. Maybe it started out that way—Dante calls me Long Shot for a reason. If you tell me I can’t have something, I want it ten times more. But it’s gone way past that with Riona. The more time I spend with her, the more I realize that she has a force of will inside of her stronger than a hurricane. I admire it. I never wanted some sweet-tempered country girl. I adore Shelby—she’s just the right kind of angel to put up with my brother. But I don’t want that for myself. I want an equal. Someone who pushes me and challenges me. I want a partner. The only problem is you can’t make somebody your partner against their will. And I don’t think Riona wants to tie herself to me for one goddamned second. I think even the idea of that would terrify her. I don’t know how to convince her to give me a real shot. But I’ve got a couple ideas.