Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 131789 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 527(@250wpm)___ 439(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131789 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 527(@250wpm)___ 439(@300wpm)
“Fenn will be out with the soccer team for a while,” she says. “We could go back to your room. If you’re good with that.”
Yeah, I’m good with that.
I cut the wheel to take a hard left toward the senior dorm, drawing a soft laugh from her sexy mouth. Not that I’m expecting anything, but Sloane’s been throwing some vibes at me since we left the boathouse. I didn’t want to respond to it outright in case I was reading the situation all wrong. What she experienced back there was intense, and completely understandable. I’m not the type of guy to take advantage of her feelings after something like that. I might be a dick, but I’m not a dirtbag.
And because I am that kind of asshole, I walk Sloane right through the front door. Ever since Fenn and I discovered Roger’s side hustle, the three of us have an agreement of mutually assured destruction.
And fuck Duke. If he’s back from Ballard already and sees us, he can eat me.
I’m learning all sorts of new things about myself lately. I like having a stepbrother. I don’t mind being part of a team. And given the proper motivation, I’m the guy who picks a fight over a girl. Especially when that girl is a stone-cold ice princess with legs for days and a smile that can drop a man dead.
Upstairs, I watch her walk into my room and throw herself in my desk chair. While I shut the door, she spins around to eye me and that look makes my mouth run dry. Part seduction and suspicion. I don’t know how to take it or how she conveys so much by saying so little.
“What?” I say hoarsely.
She makes me nervous. Which is a strange sensation. Almost nothing does and I wouldn’t like it much if it weren’t also sorta exciting.
“You were very decent tonight,” she says.
“Was I?” I take a seat on the end of my bed.
Sloane nods, twirling back and forth in the chair. “For the record, I don’t have some secret kink for macho dudes.”
“Okay…”
“But. It was sexy the way you stood up to Duke. So there’s that.”
“Noted. Out of curiosity, what are some of those secret kinks?”
Arching an eyebrow, Sloane doesn’t answer. Because she’s trying to break me. And I’m happy to let her.
“Seriously, though. And then at the boathouse. You were sweet and you didn’t have to be.”
“I know I made a mess of things at the start, but I meant it, Sloane. I am here for you. That’s real. Count on it.”
Her lips curve shyly before her gaze wanders off to admire the wallpaper.
I don’t often see it, but bashful Sloane is fucking adorable in a heartbreaking kind of way. I knew when we met that there was more to this enigma than the ball-busting headmaster’s daughter who wouldn’t give me her name. I knew that if I could puzzle her out, I’d get to the core of something fascinating.
“See, it’s stuff like that,” she finally says, still avoiding my gaze. “It’s like you can’t help saying the sweetest things to me.”
I bite back a laugh. “Should I stop?”
“Yes,” she tells me emphatically. “It gives a girl ideas.”
“Yeah?” My voice thickens.
“Like, you were already hot. It’s overkill at this point.”
My chuckle spills free. “Hey, I can keep a secret. You can treat me like a piece of meat in public and I won’t tell anyone the ice princess has a thing for nice guys.”
She rolls her eyes. “Shut up.”
“You know, for appearances. Got to protect your reputation, after all.”
Sloane flashes her middle finger. “I’ve got your reputation right here.”
“That’s my girl.”
“See?” She cocks her head. “That’s what I’m talking about.”
I never know what to expect from her one moment to the next. It’s what keeps me hanging on her every word, her every expression. Yeah, I’m fucking thirsty. But no matter how much I learn about Sloane, she constantly slips off another layer and reinvents herself again. So I’m not ready for it when she undoes the first then second button of her cropped shirt. Her attention remains fixed on my face, while mine follows her fingers with meticulous interest.
“You say something nice and I forget to play hard to get,” she accuses.
“Forgive me if I don’t stop you.”
Slowly, Sloane plucks each button open. Slouched in the chair with her legs splayed. She’s an album cover. Something immortal. She undoes the front clasp on her bra and lets it fall with her shirt as she stands up. Her perky tits bring a rush of moisture to my mouth. I swallow hard, fighting the urge to haul her into my lap and suck on those cute pebbled nipples. But this is her show. She’s in charge tonight.
Seeing the heat in my eyes, she smiles slightly and walks over to stand between my legs. A shiver travels through me when she grabs the hem of my shirt and pulls the material up and over my head. When her mouth hovers over mine, I lean in to brush my lips with hers.