Very Bad Things (Briarcrest Academy #1)(35)

I laughed out loud, liking how she called me out. “Okay, you got me. I was looking at your red hair. I like it.”

She blushed. “Thank you.”

I studied her. “You’re a mystery, Nora. I mean, why would you ruin my car? Was it because I saw you in the parking lot at BA and didn’t help you out with your mom?” I asked, hoping I could get her to open up.

She peered into the popcorn bucket, and I regretted bringing it up. She’d said she was sorry and that she’d help Teddy.

She shrugged. “No, it wasn’t personal. There’s nothing you could have done that day anyway. She’s just like that. She blows up but then gets over it.”

I nodded but didn’t believe her. I’d seen Mrs. Blakely’s face. She’d looked evil. Like a freak really.

Our movie finally started, but I barely noticed because all I could think about was that we were together and alone, and she was easy to be with. “I like you,” I said impulsively, turning and holding her gaze with mine.

“Yeah?” she said, seeming pleased. “Why?”

I faltered, not sure about my words. “Because you’re like . . . I don’t know . . . a Lamborghini in a parking lot full of Kias. Special.”

Her lips parted and a tiny rush of air came out, like she was surprised. My breath quickened, staring at her lips. She’d worn this deep red lipstick that matched her hair, and it turned me on big time. She licked her lips, and I ached to kiss her mouth. I wanted to lick it, nip it, suck on it; I wanted to own it.

I wanted to give her a kiss she’d never forget.

I thought of that rush you get when you ride a roller coaster, how it climbs higher and higher and then does crazy twists and turns, and you feel like you just might fly right out of your seat. Would a kiss with Nora be like that? Would her mouth taste like the cherries on her skirt? Would the first flick of her tongue against mine send a bolt of pure lust straight to my dick? Would her skin smell like peaches?

I leaned in a tiny bit closer, feeling heady and strangely euphoric. If I could taste her lips one time, maybe I’d be content and this craziness would pass? But, deep down, I knew a simple kiss would never be enough with her. I’d want to f*ck— I felt my phone buzz.

Sighing and looking away, I pulled it out of my pocket.

It was Tiffany.

––––––––

—Wanna meet back at your place later tonight? Say yes, and I’ll wear the pink nightie. xoxo

––––––––

“Checking in with the ole girlfriend?” Nora asked as I put the phone away. “You know, I don’t think she’d like it very much that you’re here with me. The movies is way better than a date in the park.”

“Not my girlfriend, but yeah, it’s Tiffany.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“I told you I don’t do relationships, and she knows that. She does what she wants, and so do I.”

She nodded seriously. “Yeah, I get it. She’s your f*ck buddy.”

My entire body went hot as lava at her words, my pulse beating fast and furious as I pictured me with Nora, not Tiffany. Memories of her propositioning me at the restaurant kept playing through my head, how she’d described what she wanted, how she’d wanted me to take her from behind. Had she done that shit on purpose, knowing I’d drive myself crazy thinking about it?

I wondered if she’d ever made love in a movie theater. It was practically empty tonight. We could move to the back row, and she could sit in my lap while we tore into each other. I could wrap my hands in her long red hair and give her the ride of her life. No one would ever know. Unless she was a screamer. Dammit. I was losing my mind over this chick.

This had to stop.

***

After the movie, we walked back to the lobby, and while she went to the restroom, my mind was on her list again. I wondered who she was having sex with since I’d turned her down. I shouldn’t care, but I did.

She was probably f*cking Cuba already. Or Sebastain. Or both.

I stood there, waiting for her to come out. Should I stay with Nora tonight, maybe talk to her about her list, or should I go be with Tiffany? But, I was lying to myself because I wanted more from Nora than talking. I wanted to do things with her I shouldn’t and being alone with her was dangerous territory.

Tiffany, on the other hand, was older, available, and knew we were short-term. She was the obvious choice. Yet, why did I feel like if I chose Tiffany, then I’d be giving up and missing out on a possibility that could be incredible? That, maybe, if I chose to stay with Nora, my life’s direction might swivel and change into something entirely different? Something I’d never known.

She came out of the restroom. And, damn, she looked spectacular, making me forget my own name as she strolled across that lobby in those red heels and tight as hell skirt. She shot me that sexy smile, and I got an instant hard-on. And yeah, seeing her walk toward me was like hearing the sweetest damn rock ballad ever, playing loud and clear in my head. You know the ones, songs about love and how you never believed it existed, until you met her; songs about how you’ve been alone for what seems like forever, but she’s gonna make it alright; songs about how you can’t breathe without her. Yeah. It was like that.

And then it happened. Something big shifted inside me . . . inside my heart.