Very Bad Things (Briarcrest Academy #1)(25)

I bit my lip. “Cuba, I’m sorry. I don’t remember that. Sometimes I get in a zone thinking about all the things I have to get done. Ignoring you was never on purpose.” I said, telling him a half-truth. Oh, I’d been in a zone alright. One where I’d had to constantly concentrate on holding myself together.

He grinned. “Good. I hope we have a class together this year.”

I nodded absently, my attention switching to Leo as he stood and hugged Tiffany, and after a few moments she walked off, ending their date. As soon as she was out of sight, Leo headed our way.

Leo strolled over to us with the fluid grace of a man who knew he was the epitome of a confident male, assured in his virility and sexual prowess. And even though my blood raced with the anticipation of being close to him again, I still fumed over Tiffany. Why did he affect me like this?

“Date leave?” I asked him.

He ignored my question and cut his eyes at Cuba, like he didn’t like him.

“Who has a running date in the park anyway?” I said, goading him, wanting to push his buttons.

“Grown-ups,” he replied instantly, making me want to squish my cone in his face, but no way was I parting with my precious.

“You’re just not that in to her if you can’t put forth the effort it takes for a real date. Seriously, all you did was run around in the heat, sweat like a pig, and buy her some water,” I retorted, not able to stop the flow of smart-ass remarks with him. I mean, this wasn’t like me at all.

He threw back his head and laughed uproariously, and I stood hypnotized by this Leo, seeing his sexy lips curve up and his sparkling eyes shine with amusement. Even if the joke was at my expense, it didn’t bother me, because it had been worth it to see him like that, so carefree and happy. And I also sensed he wasn’t the kind of guy to laugh at someone to be mean. He’d taken up for Teddy in a heartbeat, telling me real quick Teddy was valuable to the band. And so, even though I wanted to be mad, I couldn’t stop myself from joining in and laughing with him.

Somehow, I remembered my manners. “Cuba, this is Leo Tate. He’s Sebastian’s older brother and guardian. Leo, this is Cuba, a football player and student at BA.”

Leo’s back went ramrod straight as he approached Cuba to shake hands, easing up to him as stealthily as a tiger on the prowl. Standing across from each other, I could see that Leo was about three inches taller than Cuba, which put Leo around the six foot five mark. No wonder he drove the Escalade; it was the only car big enough for him.

As I watched, they acknowledged each other in some ritualistic badass caveman style, with glaring eyes and grunts, mostly from Leo’s end. Tension crackled in the air as Leo’s eyes bounced back and forth from me to Cuba, and I wondered what the hell he was thinking with that hard look on his face. And the way he was staring at Cuba made me think he was jealous, but that wasn’t true. He’d just been with Tiffany, “the girl he was seeing.” Why would he be mad because I was hanging out with Cuba? I huffed and was gearing up to tell him he could just turn himself right back around and walk back the way—

He turned to me, and his eyes seemed to search every inch of my body, making me feel hot. “Did you get a tattoo today?” he asked.

“No, but I made an appointment,” I said, taking a lick of my forgotten ice cream, wondering if I’d get the same reaction from Leo that I’d gotten from Cuba. “Got a nipple piercing instead.”

Leo’s entire stance stiffened, and his eyes flicked from my mouth to my breasts, where they stayed, and heaven help me, I couldn’t resist, so I reached for the hem of my top. “Wanna see?” I teased.

“Hell, yeah,” Cuba muttered out while Leo stood there with a clenched jaw. I knew that reaction; I’d seen it when I’d taken my clothes off in front of him. Either he was angry or horny, or maybe both at the same time. I hadn’t decided.

“No?” I arched a brow, staring hard at Leo, my breathing getting faster. “You’d like it. I didn’t do the norm and get the ring or barbell. I got these little angel wings that you screw onto the side. It’s right here,” I said, taking my finger and tracing it around my breast where the piercing lay underneath my shirt. I remembered touching my breast for him the night before; I wondered if he was thinking about it, too.

His nose flared wide, and his eyes jerked back to my chest, and I knew he could see the imprint of the piercing because I’d seen Shayla’s, and she’d been wearing a bra. I arched a bit forward so he could see better.

Cuba whistled, his wide grin making me chuckle. He was a lot like Sebastian, handsome with a tinge of arrogance, but instead of seeming conceited about their good fortune in the looks department, both of them managed to not take themselves too seriously, and it worked big time, making them even hotter.

And Leo, he stared at me and then at Cuba, his mouth a thin line, like he wanted to throttle us both. We were spared what would have happened next when Sebastian walked back over to us.

He must have caught the tail end of our conversation. “Hey, don’t forget about me. I wanna see this piercing,” he said, grinning at me and then cutting his eyes at Leo, like he wanted to gauge his reaction to what he’d said. I paused, wondering what that look had meant.

“I was kidding about flashing my boobs in the park,” I laughed. “But, I’ll show you later,” I said to Sebastian.