Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 155405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 777(@200wpm)___ 622(@250wpm)___ 518(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 777(@200wpm)___ 622(@250wpm)___ 518(@300wpm)
He shakes his head. “I had to get something out of my trunk.”
“Was it a body?” I ask solemnly, my gaze drifting to the hand he’s hiding behind his back.
“Sort of. Close your eyes.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s a surprise.”
“I don’t like surprises.”
“I don’t care. Close your damn eyes.”
Sighing, I say, “If this is something gross, I swear to God…”
“It isn’t something gross. I got you a present. Now, hold out your hand, you little ingrate.”
I chuckle despite myself, then I bite back a grin and hold out my palm.
He places something soft and fluffy in the palm of my hand, and my eyes pop open immediately. I gasp at the sight of an adorable octopus plushie. “What is this?” I say, petting his soft little head.
“It’s reversible. Turn it over.”
The side facing out right now is aqua with an adorable grumpy expression on its cute little face. I turn the little octopus inside out, and the other side is pink with a friendly smile.
“I figured you can use it like a signal. When you’re mad at me, you can turn it that way. When it’s a Landon-friendly zone, you can turn him pink.”
I grin up at him, delighted, as I hug the plushie. “This is hands down the cutest ‘keep out’ sign in all existence.”
He cracks a smile. “I’m glad you like it.”
“I do, thank you.” Since he’s outside the car and I already got in, I step back out so I can give him a hug.
I forgot I got him all wet until I feel his shirt soak through mine.
“Shit,” I say, pulling back and looking down at my shirt. Since our parents are probably waiting for us at home, it’s probably a bad idea to show up together, both of us wet. “I don’t have a replacement shirt in the back seat of this car yet. I used to keep one in my old car for emergencies, but this one was so nice and clean—”
Landon interrupts. “It’s fine. I figured we probably shouldn’t show up at home together, anyway. I’ll head to Malek’s and toss my shirt in the dryer for a few minutes. If anyone asks, I can just say I went for a swim at his house.”
“Okay.” I nod. “And if Mom asks, I was at school late working on Uplift stuff and I spilled my drink. Not that you would know that, so I don’t know why I’m telling you…”
Landon smirks and leans in, kissing me on the corner of the mouth and making my heart stop. “Anyone ever tell you that you think too much about everything?”
My stomach flutters when he locks a strong arm around my waist and pulls me against him now that we have our alibis sorted. “If they did, I wouldn’t listen.”
He kisses me again, slower this time, a hand sliding up to find my neck. He kisses me until I’m dizzy and drunk on him, then he pulls back and lets me go.
I give him a tiny smile and slide back into my seat, but I’m still a bit high on his kisses when he’s walking back to his car. I sit there for a minute to get my bearings and clear my head. Just when I’m about to leave, my phone in the cupholder buzzes.
My blood freezes for a split second when I see I have a DM—the only person I have sent a DM recently was Dare—but relief hits me when I recognize Landon’s handle.
“You okay to drive?”
“Of course. I had like one sip of the lemonade.”
“That’s not what I meant,” he says with a wink.
“Ugh,” I type back, then I look over at him still parked beside me. I turn my octopus plushie to the grumpy side and hold it up for him to see. Landon laughs, then he finally pulls away.
___
Since I have a new secret boy situation and I want to talk to Hannah about it without fearing I’ll be overheard, I ask her out to do a little shopping with me on Saturday.
Before I leave, Landon slips into my bedroom for a little “snack,” and as I’m pulling up my panties, he suggests we meet up with him and the guys afterward for lunch.
That’s pretty much the last thing I want to do. Lunch with Landon and Hannah, sure, but he’s hanging out with Malek and Arden, and that doesn’t sound like the best time.
I suppose I’ll have to compromise, though, so I tell him I’ll message him when we’re about done and then we can figure out where to meet up.
“So,” Hannah says, as she grabs a cute blue and white checkered dress off the rack and turns it around to look at the back. “How’s the Landon thing going?”
“It’s going… well? As well as a secret situationship can, I guess? At the moment, it’s a lot of lying and sneaking around, but obviously we have to keep it from our parents.”