Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 122030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
I’m afraid I might have to dance until she drags me through the crowd to a small leather love seat in the corner. She pushes me into it and helps herself to sitting across my lap with her legs draped over mine and her back against the cushioned arm.
“Comfy?” she asks, sipping her drink.
It’s a bit loud in here for a conversation, but if this is what it takes to put her in a more talkative mood, fine. I’m adaptable.
I offer a wry grin. “You’re not shy, are you?”
She shrugs. “I don’t think you like shy girls. You want someone who will yank you around by the collar now and then.”
Am I so transparent?
“Is that what you’re into?” I drape my arm over her thighs. “You strike me as a biter. What’s that called?”
Mila pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. “An oral fixation.”
I keep my gaze on her mouth. Making it obvious too. “Yeah, that’s it.”
Her pleased smile tells me I’ve brought this mission back from the brink and she’s in the pocket. Now I just need to steer us back to Gabe before I choke down too much more of this shitty tequila.
“You know, Sloane would kill you if she saw you like this.”
I lick the corner of my mouth, still fixated on hers. “Good thing she isn’t here.”
“You’re not worried she’ll find out?” Mila idly plays with my shirt between her fingers. “Nothing stays secret in the private school group chat.”
“We’re not married, and it’s my senior year. I intend to enjoy myself.”
“I like that.” Her hand explores my chest, fingertips sliding over one pec, grazing my nipple on their way toward my collarbone. “Self-determination is sexy.”
“What about you?” I ask, gauging how far I can push my luck. “What do you want? Right in this moment.”
She licks her lips, sliding her hand up behind my neck and into my hair. When she leans forward for a kiss, I let it happen. It’s not a bad kiss. Even gets my heart pounding faster. Our tongues meet and the tequila tastes much better on her tongue than it did out of the bottle. But if there was any doubt I can only get hard for Sloane, this settles it. As Fenn would say, I’m learning what the opposite of a boner feels like.
When she tugs my lip with her teeth, I let out a quiet groan, but mostly because I’m hoping she doesn’t draw blood. Otherwise it’d be me and my right hand for the foreseeable future when Sloane got a look at me.
We make small talk between gratuitous touching, until we finish our drinks and I decide to test the waters again.
“Should I be worried about Oliver storming in and kicking my ass for making out with you?” I ask with a chuckle.
“Nah. We have an open sort of thing.”
“All right, good. And what about Gabe? Is he gonna break out of prison and hunt me down? Didn’t you go to prom with the guy?”
“It wasn’t like we were together together.” She absently trails her fingers along my bare arm. “But, sure. We ended up hanging out all night.”
“Really? You were with him the whole time? Wasn’t he a dealer?”
“So?”
“So don’t dealers have to duck out like every five seconds to move their product?”
Her lips curve in a smug smile. “Not when they’re with me.” Mila laughs to herself. “He was selling at the beginning, but then he and I started feeling each other, you know? So business was closed for the rest of the night. We actually ended up leaving together and going back to my room.”
“How long was that?”
She chokes on another laugh. “Like, how long did he last?”
God, no. “I mean, was it a full-on sleepover? Because that sure sounds like a together together activity.” I mimic her earlier phrasing.
“Well, he stayed till five in the morning, but you know, it was whatever. I drove him back to Sandover while the sun was still rising.” She blinks. “I just realized that’s the last time I saw him. Huh. Weird.”
Yeah, weird.
I want to ask her if she’s somehow managed to hear from Gabe since then, but she doesn’t give me the chance. Her mouth is closing in on mine, and she kisses me again before I can voice the question. I close my eyes and remind myself that kissing a hot girl isn’t the worst job in the world.
And wait for the opportune moment to take my leave and claim my reward from Sloane.
CHAPTER 41
CASEY
SLOANE SLEEPS IN AND SKIPS BREAKFAST, SO IT’S ONLY DAD AND ME at the table on Sunday morning. Quietly eating the eggs I’d overcooked and the bacon I’d nearly burned to a crisp because I’ve been unable to focus on anything since the second I woke up.
I went to bed last night with excitement still thrumming in my fingertips. I had a secret only one person in the universe knew about.