Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 52957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
Not that I could blame him, but still, fuck that guy.
People grumbled and protested, but the seats weren’t too packed so that it took much persuading to get people to move so I could sit next to Ivy.
A hint of sweetness, cut with a musky undertone hit my senses as I leaned into her so I could say in a low voice, “Hey, Ivy, nice to see you again.”
She looked away from Captain Preppie, as my jealousy had dubbed him, and at me with a hint of confusion. Her lips parted slightly while her gaze traveled over my face, the amber flecks in her light green eyes clearly visible in the light shining in from the gym’s multitude of windows. Outside, snow still covered every surface and radiated the sunlight back into the massive space.
“Oh, Caleb,” Ivy said as she leaned back a little, still studying me. “You look very different without a suit on. And your hair…”
I gave her a brief grin and ran my hands over my heavily gelled and slicked back hair. “My good friend’s eleven-year-old daughter, June, styled it for me. She said it made me look like Jake from that old Molly Ringwald movie. Since June loves watching old 80s movies, I figured I’d leave my styling in her expert hands.”
She gave a double blink, then a genuine smile. “Well, June did an amazing job. You look like a totally different person.”
“Thanks, I think?”
On the podium, the Professor Renard outlined the agenda for Spirit Week, going over each event. I was already familiar with them all. I’d studied the course last night before I caught a few hours of broken sleep. Captain Preppie leaned forward slightly and said something to recapture Ivy’s attention, all while giving me a narrow-eyed look. Yeah, buddy, keep glaring. I’m not going anywhere.
Ivy’s hand went up to toy with the edge of the collar of her denim jacket as she quietly giggled, and the little green and pink crystals embedded along the collar glittered when she turned to face the speaker. She’d painted her lips with some kind of super glossy pink lipstick that I wanted smeared all over my dick in the worst way. When her eyes finally returned to mine, I let her see how much I wanted her.
It must have worked, because her cheeks pinked up nicely, even beneath the makeup that she wore like a suit of armor. Not that it looked bad on her, just the opposite. The dark eyeliner made her eyes practically glow, and her hair positively flamed in the sunlight. And that lip gloss… fuck me.
“You are so fucking beautiful,” I growled out as her lips parted.
Captain Preppie said in a slightly annoyed voice, “Hey, do you mind? I’m trying to listen to what they’re saying.”
Around us lots of people were talking in low voices, but Ivy ducked her head and whispered, “Sorry, Adam.”
Of course his name was Adam.
Chief Lawson Berringer, the head of Rawhide’s security was on the podium now, glaring at the audience as he went over the Ranch’s rules. Number one being consent. He also reminded them that a staff therapist was available 24/7 if they needed someone to talk to and began his authoritative speech about the different areas of the Ranch that were off limits, and why. I’d received this same speech when I’d been hired.
Out of the corner of my eye, I snuck a glance at Ivy and found her studiously listening to everything Chief Berringer was saying.
Or at least she was trying to.
She kept glancing between me and Captain Preppie.
I hated to admit it, but he was a good-looking guy who was obviously interested in her.
Her leg accidentally brushed mine as she shifted and I moved subtly so our legs stayed pressed against each other. She froze but didn’t move or protest. I grew hyperaware of her, of the feeling of her body against mine, of how close she was to me. Yet off limits. I looked away with a small smile as I gently chided myself for forgetting how much fun high school flirting could be. This wasn’t a bar hookup where we both knew the drill, this was that fun “first time for everything” phase.
Playing hard to get was part of that for some people.
Captain Preppie leaned over and whispered something in Ivy’s ear as he placed a possessive hand on one of her fishnet clad thighs.
Irritation flashed through me in a prickling wave as I grit my teeth against the urge to remove his hand from her body. Forcibly. Her soft laughter and whispers back only further aggravated me and I forced myself not to give the asshole the satisfaction of letting me know their flirting bothered me.
“Caleb,” a woman whisper hissed, “move over, let us sit by you.”
I let out an inner groan as Georgiana and Petal stood next to me, dressed up in an odd, yet sexy mixture of cat and high school student. While their well-honed bodies certainly rocked the short purple and black plaid skirt paired with a tied white shirt combo, it was their faces that caught my notice. Everyone around us was whispering and pointing at the two women who were preening beneath the attention.