Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 83221 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83221 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
No. Absolutely not. Texting was crossing the line.
“Of course,” I say instead, offering her a comforting smile. “I need to catch you up on what you missed during my lecture.”
Fuck, her smile is beautiful.
I want to kiss her so bad it hurts.
She licks her lips, as though she’s thinking the same thing, but neither of us moves. Thank God. I do not need to start down that path. If I kiss her, it won’t be enough. I’ll cross many more lines before we ever step foot out of this stall.
“Were you mad at me?” she asks, her voice hoarse. “Earlier, I mean.”
“What could possibly make you think I’d be mad at you?”
She narrows her eyes, like she can see right into my mind. “Dempsey.”
Ahhh, that.
Yes, I do remember now.
Levi pissed me off so badly when I’d overheard him shit talking to Willa that I’d nearly forgotten what I’d seen in the hallway. I admit, when I saw my fucking brother with his arm around Willa, I was confused. Momentarily outraged. Not at her, but at the unfairness of it all. The fact that I’ve got my dick in a knot over a girl who’s around the same age as Dempsey. That I couldn’t do what he was doing with her because of my position of power over her.
“I didn’t realize you two were friends,” I admit. “You told me you don’t have any.”
“I don’t. Well, didn’t.” She shifts on her feet. “We just started talking in class today and then I think he wanted to piss off Levi, so he put his arm around me, pretending to be my boyfriend. It’s stupid.”
Not completely.
“You know my brother has a reputation for being a player, right?”
She nods. “I don’t want Dempsey…” Her teeth bite into her bottom lip. “You know that.”
I do know that. I can see how she feels about me. This thing brewing between us is chaotic and confusing, but it’s also incredibly powerful. It’s not a crush or an infatuation.
I’m drawn to this beautiful, quiet, broken girl.
“It’s okay if you did,” I lie. “He may be popular with the girls, but he’s a Park. He’d never hurt you. Dempsey isn’t like Levi.”
“I like someone else,” she whispers. “Someone I shouldn’t.”
This fucking girl.
“You need to leave,” I croak out. “Now.”
My words strike her and she flinches. “Okay, Mr. Park.”
I grab her shoulders, stopping her from moving past me. “Not because I want you to. It’s because I don’t want you to. Do you understand?”
Her eyes are wide and innocent. “I understand.”
Dipping my head down, I bring my mouth to her ear. “You have to leave because if you don’t, I might put my lips on yours, sweetheart. And that would be only the beginning.”
She turns her head, lips brushing over my stubbly cheek and stopping near my mouth. “Would that be so bad?”
The heat of her taunting words sends fire traveling straight to my dick. My fingers bite into her arms as I force myself to keep them there rather than letting them travel down and around her body.
“It would be very, very bad.”
“How come?”
“Because I wouldn’t know how to stop.” I close my eyes, inhaling her sweet, honeyed scent. “I’d become addicted.”
Her lips press against the corner of mine. It’s brave and maddening all the same. I want to chide her for doing it and reward her for her boldness. A savage groan of need rips its way up my chest. Without thinking of the repercussions, I open my mouth and nip at hers, capturing her plump lip between my teeth.
I’m jerked from my lust-filled haze at the sound of the bathroom door opening and a teenage girl making furious sounds as she stomps inside.
“Ughhh! I hate him!”
Willa freezes, gasping sharply. I reluctantly release her lip and pull back. Slowly, I hold a finger to my lips, signifying she be quiet. I peek out the door and am annoyed to find that I know the person standing at the mirror.
“Stay here,” I mouth to Willa. “Lock the door behind me.”
She nods and crosses her arms over her chest. Worry flashes in her eyes. Not for herself, but for me. It warms me to know she doesn’t want me to get into trouble.
Before I can second-guess myself, I slip out of the stall and storm over to Gemma. Her eyes widen in the mirror, taking in my appearance.
“What the hell, Callum?”
“You should be in class,” I grind out, grabbing hold of her backpack and physically guiding her to the door.
“Let go, asshole!” She squirms to no avail. I manage to push her out of the bathroom and toward my classroom. “What were you doing in there?”
“Nothing,” I lie.
She scowls at me. “Liar.”
“Nothing that concerns you,” I say instead. “Now get to class before I tell Dad you’re cutting.”
Her nostrils flare, but I know I’ve hit my mark. She’s Daddy’s little girl. Does nothing wrong in his eyes. He already shelters her. If he knows she’s skipping class, he’ll want to know why and double down his efforts to keep her safe and protected.