Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 73794 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73794 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
“Did you walk over?” he asked.
“Yeah, I wasn’t sure what the parking situation would be.”
“Same.” He strolled toward the doors at a leisurely pace that suggested I was supposed to follow. Walking home together was hardly a dinner date, but it still felt like a slippery slope to more kissing. Which I desperately wanted and couldn’t have.
“Guess this school building brings back a lot of memories,” I said to distract myself from more sexy thoughts as we passed by a bank of lockers.
“I suppose so.” Stopping, he rubbed his stubbly chin. “Certain classrooms. The football field, obviously. Bleachers.”
I snorted at that. “Let me guess? Your first time was with a cheerleader under the bleachers?”
“She was a flutist, not a cheerleader, but yeah, I got up to some trouble around here for sure.” Tony winked, and heat gathered low in my belly. I could bet he’d been a heartbreaker in school. Bad-boy quarterback type with a heart of gold, what with taking care of his sisters and all. I wished like hell I’d been the one under the bleachers with him. “With no privacy at home, I knew all the sneaky spots around the school.”
“Show me.” The husky demand flew out before I could stop myself.
“Bad idea.” Tony’s voice was equally raspy. We were alone in the hallway, a reckless energy gathering between us. Our hookup on the Fourth of July would have been hot regardless, but that moment when we’d almost been discovered had added a spark of danger, the element of discovery an unexpected turn-on.
“I’m not asking for a demo. Just a tour,” I lied. We both knew I wanted more than a walk around the school, but pretending otherwise made this slow slide toward doom easier. “Nothing exciting ever happened to me in high school. Let me live vicariously.”
“Okay.” Tony’s tone matched his solemn eyes as if he were agreeing to more than a tour. Continuing down the hallway, he came to a stop by a darkened door. “This is the chemistry lab. Underrated hideout spot.”
“All those Bunsen burners,” I teased. What was truly dangerous, though, was our mutual chemistry.
“Gotta love the sciences. And poor Mrs. Kerns, who undoubtedly knew the real appeal of the lab.” Tony laughed. “What was your favorite class? Or was everything about school terrible?”
“Nah, it wasn’t all unbearable. I dug geometry and trigonometry. I was good at math, and the teacher was cool. She was the Pride club adviser. First adult I told, other than my mom.”
“Huh.” Tony made a thoughtful noise. “I told my sister the other night. First time I said the word bi aloud.”
“For real?” I nearly choked. “You told her about us hooking up?”
“Not that.” Tony waved a hand like our hookup was a minor detail. “But it felt…good to tell someone I’m not straight. Right. Like loosening a pair of cuffs I wasn’t aware of wearing.”
“I can see that.” I met his too-serious gaze, holding it the way I wished I could hold him. I hoped Angel had hugged him and reacted the way Tony deserved. “I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks.” The tips of Tony’s ears went pink. “It wasn’t that big of a deal. Angel was super cool—”
“Hey.” I stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, turning him more toward me when he would have looked away. “It was a big deal to you. That matters.”
“Yeah.” Tony inhaled sharply, but I wasn’t sure whether it was from the contact or the truth of my words. He gave me a searching look before finally walking away, continuing his tour to lead me to a narrow passageway behind the gym, near the path toward the athletic fields. The spot was almost entirely hidden, some sort of service hallway. “Everyone always thinks the bleachers are the best spot, but this is where I got my first kiss.”
He could have simply pointed at the passageway, but he turned down it, stepping toward the brick wall at the end. No one could see us now. My pulse surged like a marathon runner and sweat gathered at the small of my back as I followed him.
“Bet it was a hell of a kiss,” I murmured.
“Nah.” Cheeks still dusky, he shook his head. “Rather underwhelming.”
“You could get a do-over. Right now.”
“I could,” he agreed slowly as if tasting each word for ripeness.
“You should,” I coaxed, even though neither of us should do any such thing, especially not right here. But then Tony pulled me close and stole the last of my logic. “You really should.”
Chapter Eleven
Tony
Getting more involved with Caleb would be all kinds of dumb. He was too young, too idealistic, not to mention my coworker, who was also my trainer and the first guy I’d kissed. Dusk fell around us, the sky going from sunny to pink to a light gray, nightfall on the way, darkness making me even more reckless than our hidden position. Or maybe my daring had everything to do with Caleb and how he made me feel despite all those good reasons to avoid him. He gazed expectantly at me, certainty in those blue eyes that I was about to kiss him.