Total pages in book: 162
Estimated words: 158872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 794(@200wpm)___ 635(@250wpm)___ 530(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 158872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 794(@200wpm)___ 635(@250wpm)___ 530(@300wpm)
“I’ll catch up with you in a few,” I promise.
“I’ll hang with Ella.”
I nod and watch her until she reaches the girls over by the bleachers.
“Have you lost your mind?” Dex says, snapping me into the moment.
Yeah, a little.
Molly
My cheeks and ears still sizzle with embarrassment. I can’t believe Dex caught us. Will he tell my brother? Griff said he won’t. But what if he uses the information as some twisted loyalty test? Or he thinks it’s a joke? Dex could think he’s messing with Griff, not realizing the fuse he’ll light if he says something about us in front of my brother.
Sweat trickles down the sides of my face. It’s too damn hot for this sweatshirt. I flick the hood off the top of my head. The cool breeze swirling around my cheeks an instant relief.
“There you are!” Ella runs up and hugs me. “I was looking all over for you.” She holds me at arm’s length. “What’s wrong? Are you sick? Your face is all red.”
That only makes my cheeks burn hotter. I unzip my hoodie and take it off, leaving me in my bright red T-shirt. I tie the sweatshirt around my waist for now.
“No. I’m fine.” I jam my hand in my pocket, searching for an elastic, and pull my hair into a high ponytail while glancing around the racetrack. More Lost Kings have started arriving. Bikers in black leather vests and jeans dot the area. Greeting the guests and bullshitting about motorcycles will keep my brother occupied for a few minutes.
“If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell Eraser?” I ask.
Ella stares at me for a few beats, concern wrinkling her forehead.
I wrap my hand around Ella’s arm and drag her over to the bleachers. “It’s nothing bad.”
“Eraser and I don’t keep secrets from each other,” she says in a more solemn tone than I expected.
I blow out a frustrated breath. I should’ve known that would be her answer. But I need to talk to someone about this and things aren’t quite back to normal with Hayden, yet. “Just this once? For now? For me? Please,” I beg.
She chuckles softly and seems to relent. “Okay. I promise.”
“Griff and I—”
She cuts me off with a loud squeal of happiness and punches her fist in the air. “Finally!”
Frowning, I step back and stare at her. “What do you mean finally?”
“Come on, Molly. It’s been so obvious for like…ever that Griff’s into you and you’re—” She lets out another squee and claps her hands together.
Utterly stunned by her reaction, I just stare at her. “Really?”
“Yeah.” She whips her head toward the racetrack, then the parking lot. “Is Juliet here yet? She owes me twenty bucks.”
“Wait, what?” I shout a bit too loudly.
“She said you wouldn’t get together until after your graduation. I bet her that you’d be a couple before prom.”
“Whoa, sister.” I lower my voice to a whisper. “We’re not together together.”
“Give me a break.” She flicks her gaze to the sky. “Oh, wait. Let me guess. Remy?”
“Well, yeah.” I pull a what else face. “You know how tight they are.”
“Geez.” She bites her lip. “My man better step it up. Vapor too.”
We’re still talking about Griff and me, right? “Step up what?”
“Nothing.” She snaps her mouth shut and widens her eyes as if she’s completely innocent and isn’t hiding a thing.
“Ella?” I prompt in my sternest voice.
“They’ve just, you know, here and there, the guys have been trying to plant some seeds in your stubborn brother’s head.” She sprinkles her fingers through the air like she’s the romance fairy sowing seeds of love. “Operation Get Remy To Unclench.”
I burst out laughing. “What?”
“About you and Griff.”
“Aw, really?” I sigh. Damn. I better start offering my babysitting services more often so Vapor can take Juliet out on some stellar date nights.
“So, you think we make sense?” I fight to keep the hesitation out of my voice. “I’m not, you know, too young for him?”
She stares at me for so long, I twitch under her scrutiny. “You’ve been hanging out with us for years now. You’re part of the group. You and Griff belong together.”
That didn’t sound like an endorsement. “Because it makes things easier on the group or…”
“Damn, Molly.” Her face falls. “You know what I mean.” She reaches out and squeezes my shoulder. “If you weren’t still in high school, I wouldn’t think of you being younger than me at all.”
“Griff and I have known each other forever.” I duck my head. “I’ve always kinda had a crush on him. But this feels different now.”
“I know.” Her gaze strays toward her husband. “When we were kids, Easton was larger than life to me…my monster who kept all the other monsters away.” Her voice takes on a wistful quality. “But when we were older and met up again, it was way different.”