Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 122030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
I know he wants me. I hear it in the soft groans muffled in his chest. Feel it when he skims the skin at the small of my back. I sit up and comb my fingers through his hair, deepening the kiss and breathing heavy.
Fenn’s always the first one to pull away.
“You’re killing me,” he whispers with heavy-lidded eyes.
“I don’t know who you’re trying to impress by trapping us on first base all the time.”
“Trapping? Damn.” He flashes an indignant smirk. “I get no credit for good behavior with you.”
“Not really, no.”
“Ah, come on, Case. Just let me be the good guy.” Now he offers an adorable pout. “That’s all I’m asking. We don’t have to rush things.”
“Bet you say that to all the girls.”
“Don’t do that,” he says, pushing a few strands of hair behind my ear and letting his fingertips gently travel down the side of my neck. “I’m here with you. That’s all I care about now.”
He’s endearing, but also a little infuriating. Fenn’s exploits are infamous in the prep school circles. It’s not like I’m ignorant of how he used to get around, and pretending otherwise is pointless. And it’s frustrating, because between the two of us, he’s the more seasoned traveler, yet he digs his heels in if I tempt him to venture much further than the front yard.
“I know, and I’m not trying to rush things…” I slide off Fenn’s lap and cradle Bo’s head when he comes pushing his way under my arm. “But you’re starting to give me a complex.”
He frowns. “How so?”
“Every time you stop, I wonder if it’s because I’m…” I feel my cheeks heat up. “I don’t know…bad at this or something. I mean, my resume isn’t extensive.”
Even before the accident, my dad was a zero-dating tyrant. And Sloane had every guy at Ballard and Sandover scared to come anywhere near me.
“Your resume?” Fenn sounds completely befuddled.
“Yeah. There was Corey Spaulding who asked me to Lisa Lesko’s birthday party freshman year and then ended up making out with her cousin in the guest house. Sophomore year I made out with Corey’s best friend, Brad, but mostly to get back at Corey for the Lisa Lesko party betrayal. And then there was A.J. Koppel last year, but I think he only kissed me to get back at Lisa Lesko for cheating on him.” I pause in thought. “Oh my God. I just realized Lisa Lesko is the common denominator in my entire kissing history. What do you think that means?”
Fenn stares at me for a second before bursting into laughter. “What the fuck’s happening right now? What are you getting at?”
“You’d tell me if I wasn’t a good kisser, right?”
He blinks, still chuckling. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
Fenn composes his face when he realizes I’m not laughing. “Are you kidding me? You’re a good kisser. Exceptional, in fact. Fucking phenomenal.” He sighs. “Don’t take my hesitation to mean there’s anything wrong with you. This is me trying to do the right thing. For once.”
He does that a lot, and it makes me a little sad for him. Yeah, he’s had more one-night stands than a highway motel, but he isn’t a bad guy. Somewhere along the way, he got it in his head he’s undeserving.
“Okay.”
“I mean it.” He takes my hand to kiss the inside of my wrist. Which basically melts my insides to molten goo and makes me want to tackle him all at once. I don’t know where they teach guys this stuff, but he was paying attention. “There isn’t a single thing about you I’d change.”
Inside I’m bursting, but I only nod and find a stick to toss for Penny. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to him.
“Have you really only kissed three dudes?” He looks intrigued by that. “Weren’t you a cheerleader at Ballard?”
I snicker. “Is kissing a gazillion guys required of being a cheerleader?”
“Well, no, but…” He glares at me. “Fine. I’m stereotyping.”
I grin at his grumbled concession. “Yes, I was a cheerleader,” I confirm. “And yes, I’ve only kissed three guys.”
I was a lot of things at Ballard Academy. A cheerleader. Head of yearbook committee, which is a huge honor for a junior. I had a best friend—Gillian Coates, who I haven’t spoken to since the spring.
I was popular at Ballard. A different kind of popular than my sister, who all the boys coveted and all the girls feared. Sloane used to tease that I was one of those annoying girls who every boy wants and no girl can hate because I’m too genuine. Whatever that means. I’ve never been anything but myself. And I think Sloane gave me a lot more credit in the “every boy wants me” department, seeing as how I captured the interest of a mere three.
She wasn’t wrong about one thing—almost everyone at Ballard did like me. Until the rumor mill turned me into a nutcase, and suddenly I was cast aside. And I know for a fact that Gillian and my former friend group still whisper about me. I see it on social media sometimes, the dumb comments about me on people’s posts. It’s embarrassing.