Sins of the Past (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

worked, Lorna thought about her new neighbor. From what she saw from across the street, the man was gorgeous. He had to be the biggest man she had ever seen, probably at least two hundred and seventy pounds or more. She could tell he stood about six feet five inches, maybe a little taller since he was hunched over his crutches. She had a feeling once the women in town got a look at the man, they would be all over him.
    “And they call me a slut.” Lorna laughed.
    Ashley Johansen was the biggest slut there was, but she was considered the golden girl of the town. Just because she was like the tenth runner up, or something like that, in the Miss Teen USA pageant, they all bowed down and worshipped at her feet like the girl had solved world hunger. Lorna hated her, but she had a feeling once Ashley laid eyes on her new neighbor, it wouldn’t take her long to sink her claws and fangs into the man.
    Jealousy sizzled through Lorna’s veins at the thought of her main nemesis since eighth grade getting her hands on the man. She had no idea what his name was or why she was feeling that way, but there was just something about him that made her want to go against everything she believed in and get to know her new neighbor. She had watched him since the day he moved in and fought back the urge to go over and talk to him. The fact that Lorna knew how it would end once the town started whispering about her in his ear, kept her from embarrassing herself. She didn’t want to see the look of revulsion on his face, or worse, him propositioning her once he found out about her reputation .
    For what seemed like the thousandth time, Lorna thought of packing all of her belongings and moving away. Business was good and she had enough money saved up to start over wherever she wanted. It was her stubborn-ass pride that held her back and kept her in a town that despised her. She refused to leave because she didn’t want them to think they had succeeded in running her off. No, Lorna stayed to prove a point. She was stronger than the backwoods locals. She knew she was being stupid, but it didn’t stop her.
    Lorna turned off her computer knowing she wasn’t going to get any more work done. Thinking of her neighbor and her arch enemy had put her in a sour mood and she still had to make a stop at the grocery store. That was the one thing she hated the most. She always ended up with unnecessary stuff and nothing she truly needed in her hurry to get in and out as fast as she could. She hated the feeling of eyes watching her everywhere she turned and the whispered voices as she passed. The town didn’t even try to hide the fact that they talked about her. Most of the time, they did it right to her face.
    Locking up, Lorna got in her car and drove the block and a half to the grocery store. She snorted when she walked in the door and the whispering started from the teenage cashiers. Slut, whore, and tramp were a few of the words said loud enough to make sure she heard them.
    Lorna rolled her eyes. “Really, girls? I know you guys are probably a little slow, since your fathers are your uncles, too. There is a reason that whole incest thing is illegal and not simply a suggestion,” she leaned and whispered loud enough for the few customers in the store to hear, “but they do make these little books called dictionaries. They’re filled with tons of new words in them for people like you who can’t come up with anything original. I just don’t know what they’re teaching you guys in school these days.”
    She gave them a look of mock pity as she grabbed a basket and turned down one of the aisles. She made sure she was alone on the aisle before she doubled over laughing. The look of shock on both cashiers’ faces was priceless. They obviously didn’t know her if they expected her to take their bullshit quietly. She had a mouth on her and she wasn’t afraid to use it. It was the reason the town hated her so much. Lorna was no wilting flower that ran crying whenever she was insulted. She stood up for herself and gave back just as good as she got from the town.
    Feeling a little better, she went down each aisle and took her time putting everything she needed in the basket. She felt eyes following her, but for the first time in a long while, she didn’t let them get to her. Once she was finished shopping, she went to pay, deliberately choosing one of the girls’ registers. She wouldn’t even look Lorna in the eye as she rang up her