Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 70338 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70338 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
But It’s hard to ignore Abe’s sheer masculine virility when he’s right beside me. He’s a foot taller than I am and probably weighs twice as much because his body is built of solid muscle.
Solid.
Muscle.
I know because I just felt the hard-as-rock relief of his chest when my hands flew up against it to push him back. I may have memorized the ridges of his washboard abs.
I would like to say I never craved tracing the exquisite lines of his upper arms. That I haven’t wondered whether he has a six-pack or eight-pack. It’s not about how you work out, it’s genetic–I learned that last year in AP biology.
That’s the only reason I return the favor of touching his back. I pat it like a child and give him my most condescending, “Good job, Abe” when he brings the solution to a boil.
I expect another lazy smirk, but his upper lip curls in a snarl that makes me snatch my hand away. It was an instinctual reaction. I’m not afraid of him, but something about that look startled me.
Like most bullies, he usually plays offense. He’s the one poking at others.
I blink, and it’s gone. The smile doesn’t return, but Abe’s face goes somewhat blank.
I’m not sure how to interpret that reaction. Abe’s insecure about his intelligence, maybe?
I decide to go back to ignoring him and doing the lab on my own.
“You’re good at this,” he says after I’m the first one finished, and Ms. Miller comes over to praise us.
It’s not hard. It’s not even an AP class–they don’t have one here. So I shrug. “I guess.”
“You’re going to help me study for the test,” he declares.
I shake my head. “In your dreams, baller. I have better things to do than teach your sorry ass about chemistry.”
The pirate smile is there. Good thing I’m immune to it.
Good thing I have a boyfriend.
The one I’m breaking up with.
“You’ll do it. I just have to find your leverage point. Everyone has one. So what’s yours?”
But, that’s the thing–I don’t have one. I’m a teenager who just lost her mom. Nothing else could hurt at this point. Nothing even touches me. I truly have no fucks to give about anything other than keeping our dad alive.
Abe considers me. “Pleasure?” His grey eyes sweep up and down my body with…is it appreciation? Heat? It’s the first time I’ve seen anything other than cockiness or scorn on that beautiful face of his. “Or pain?”
I don't know why his words hit me physically. And when I say physically, I mean, well, sexually. My core tightens, and my nipples get stiff. Parts of me I didn’t even know existed rev to life.
Abe's nostrils flare, and he steps a little closer. “Hmm? Which is it?” His voice is a low rumble. Like honey over coffee grounds. “Or is it both together?” There's innuendo in his tone. A leer in his expression.
Oh, God. It does nothing to quiet the stirring between my legs.
I'm not attracted to him. Abe’s about as far from my type as a guy could be. But for some reason, my body is all lit up. My belly squirms. Heat prickles across my skin.
I’ve never felt this way about Luke–even before I went numb.
Maybe it's just that I felt nothing for so long that feeling anything shocks me, but I have to take a step back.
As nice as it is to know I’m not actually dead, the sensations are too overwhelming.
Abe doesn't give me space, though. He steps in again, closing the gap between us. “Let's try both.” He strokes a lock of hair back from my goggles. I shake off his touch, and he grins.
I smile back. A saccharine smile in which I try to convey all the hatred I have for the school, this town, and Abe. “Touch me again, and I will take you down, Abe Oakley,” I say in a soft suggestive tone.
For a moment, I swear his grey eyes take on a strange glow. They get lighter–almost ice blue.
I'm not afraid of him, but it sends a shiver down my spine.
To cover it, I push away from the chemistry lab desk, grab the hall pass by the door, and flounce out of the room.
I feel that laser beam gaze on my back the entire time, even after I've disappeared from his sight. Once I can breathe freely again, I consider why it is I don’t tell Abe that I have a boyfriend. If this is his pathetic attempt at flirting, that knowledge should make him back the hell off.
I’m not keeping options open for when I break up with Luke–the task I’ve been putting off for weeks.
It’s not because of those washboard abs or broad shoulders. That pirate smile.
It’s definitely not because I enjoy his attention.
It’s probably just that he doesn’t deserve that much personal knowledge about me.