AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I…don’t mind. You do whatever you want, Lombardi.” I turned to Hadley. “I need to get to the bus before it leaves or I have the pleasure of a half hour wait. I’ll see you tonight.”
She hugged me quickly. “If he offers to drive, say yes!” she whispered in my ear.
When I pulled away from her, I frowned. “Sure.”
She grinned and I shook my head as I wandered off.
“Oi, Barlow! Wait up!” Roman called.
“Because she wants the likes of you chasing her!” Hadley called.
“Everyone wants the likes of me chasing them, Miss Reynolds,” he called back, his tone dripping innuendo I could almost feel landing on my skin.
I jumped onto the bus and found a seat I hoped would keep Roman away from me. But, no dice. He sat in front of me, tucking his skateboard behind his head and leaning against the window.
I surreptitiously looked at him, but he noticed and his eyebrow rose slightly in humoured question. I rolled my eyes and slid down into my seat.
“I assume Hadley’s looking for a ride tonight?”
Not the kind you’re offering. “I’m driving.”
He leant over the back of his seat toward me. “Are you now?”
“Yes.”
“And, do you plan on driving all holidays? Or, just tonight? Perhaps hoping some nice boy will offer tonight and you’ll be set up for the next two weeks?”
I looked up at him through my eyelashes. “Everyone else lives on the other side of town. I’m quite capable of driving.”
“I don’t live on the other side of town. Anymore.”
“I’m sure you’ll have your own schedule to stick to. And, I wouldn’t dream of getting in your way.”
“My way?”
I looked up at him again, finding those dark eyes watching me carefully between strands of equally dark hair. I had the sudden urge to get off the bus and run away; away from the way he seemed to see right through me. I hated running, but I’d do almost anything to get rid of my fidgetiness. I looked down again and made do with rearranging in my seat.
Everyone knew Roman Lombardi hooked up with at least one girl at every party or he left to go find one. I was not getting myself into the situation where I was going to need to rely on him for a ride; no doubt I’d want to leave way too early and he’d be off using my ride as a motel room. Not that I could say any of that out loud.
“I’ll be fine. Thanks.”
“Ah, you have someone else in mind.”
I looked up sharply.
“Carter will be devastated,” he sighed, his eyes shining with humour even as the rest of his face was hard.
I rolled my eyes again and sat back in my seat. I wasn’t planning on going to any of the other parties anyway. Make one appearance and I was sure I could get away with skiving on the rest if I felt like it.
“I’m driving myself.”
“Tonight, yes.”
Ugh, why was he such a douche?
“Then you’ll meet a lovely fella who’ll offer to drive you to the rest and Carter will be all but forgotten. See, you take me up on my offer and you’re just preserving yourself for Carter. You could say I’m doing him a favour.”
“I could say a lot of things,” I muttered.
He scoffed. “Yeah, but you won’t. Because you’re darling little Piper Barlow, never with a bad word to say to anyone.”
I glared at him and found his eyes shining brighter and a hint of a smile at his lips.
Problem was, he wasn’t entirely wrong.
As in, he was completely right.
I shook my head, pulled on my headphones and did my best to ignore him for the rest of the trip.
