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She went from sweet to sour in the blink of an eye, slamming her hands on her hips and throwing daggers my way with her eyes. “What do you have to do that’s so freaking important, huh? You seeing another girl?”
I didn’t bother hiding my eye roll that time. I was so over this shit. Any time I had other plans or wasn’t in the mood to hang, Larissa accused me of cheating on her. Because, god forbid, I didn’t actually want to spend time with her when all we really ever did is fight. I was really getting sick of whatever this relationship was.
“I’m not having this conversation again, Riss. I told you, I have a project I gotta do for Spanish.” Done with this conversation, I looked in Presley’s direction and called out, “Yo, Bubbles.” I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from smirking at the stiff, wooden way she turned to look at me, and I sure as hell didn’t miss the way Larissa’s eyes bounced back and forth between us, but I didn’t give a shit. I jerked my chin toward the passenger door. “Get in.”
All three girls looked at me like I’d just grown an arm out of my forehead or something, but while Presley stood there like her feet were glued to the concrete, her friend and Larissa both squeaked, “What?”
I didn’t take my eyes off Bubbles as I looked at her like I was just daring her to argue. “We got that project for Spanish we have to work on. Or did you forget already?”
My dick twitched behind my fly when her eyes went from wide and frightened to narrow and vicious. “I didn’t forget,” she hissed, her apple cheeks taking on a pretty pink flush. The same pink as her rosy lips. “But I don’t need your help. I can do it myself and you can just take the grade. Win-win.”
I lifted a brow and leaned back against my car like I didn’t have a care in the world. “And risk a shitty grade? Don’t think so, Bubbles.” Truth was, I’d spotted her card the moment she pulled it from beneath her desk. Mine had a picture of a fence on it so I’d made quick work of finding the kid whose card went with Presley’s and basically scared him into trading with me. It was the same asshole who stared at her boobs and ass when he didn’tthink anyone was looking. Like hell I’d let that little perv partner up with her.
The fixation I’d felt toward Presley was only getting worse the closer we came to graduation. It was as if there were a clock in my head ticking down. My time was running out. I was borderline obsessed with the girl, and when Ms. Garza announced this project, I saw it was the perfect opportunity to make a move.
“Don’t call me that,” she growled, giving her foot a tiny stomp. “And it won’t be a shitty grade. It’ll be an A, just like everything I do.” She lifted her chin proudly as she made that decree, and I liked that she had so much faith in herself. The girl was smart as hell. She deserved to own it.
I would have been more than happy to stand there all day and fight with her—while secretly wondering what it felt like to kiss her pretty mouth—but I knew if she stayed in Larissa’s orbit for another second, things had a chance of getting ugly. I couldn’t let that happen, so instead of throwing something back, I moved to her, reaching out and grabbing the handle at the very top of her bookbag, and pulling it off her shoulders. I let out a grunt at the weight of it, a wave of aggravation sliding over me at how heavy it was. Christ, she could hurt herself carrying something that freaking heavy.
“Hey!” she cried, taking off after me as I beeped the locks on my Jeep and yanked open the back door. I tossed her backpack onto the backseat, and it dropped like a boulder hitting water. “What do you think you’re doing?” she yelped as she scrambled for her bag, but I slammed the door shut before she could get to it. “That’s stealing!” she shouted.
I shrugged, crossing my arms over my chest. “You want your bag, you gotta get in. I’m not letting you do this assignment yourself and risking my GPA.” I leaned in closer to her, breathing in a fragrance that smelled fresh and citrusy witha hint of something floral underneath. Like honeysuckle and oranges. “Get. In.”
I could see the panic swirling in her light brown eyes before she turned to look back at her friend. Colbie gave her a shrug like she didn’t know what to do, and I didn’t bother hiding my grin, knowing I’d won.
With an angry huff, Presley stomped her feet against the ground as she rounded the hood and snatched open the passenger door. I grabbed the handle of my own just as she slammed the door hard enough to shake the whole Jeep, but before I could get in, Larissa’s hand shot out, her fingers wrapping around my arm. “If you leave with that loser, we’re so over,” she threatened. Like I gave a shit. The only thing in that whole sentence that could cause a reaction from me was her calling Presley a loser. But defending her would have put a bullseye in the middle of her back.
I shrugged and pulled my arm out of her grasp. “Works for me. See you around.” With that, I climbed in behind the wheel and shut the door on a fuming Larissa and confused Colbie, sealing myself alone with the girl I’d been infatuated with for way too long.
From the corner of my eye, I caught her fidgeting in the seat, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. “Where are we going?” she asked as I twisted the key to start the engine.
I looked her way, something swelling in my chest at the sight of her in my car for the first time ever. Damn, she looked good sitting there. Too good.
“My place,” I answered in a low, clipped voice. “My folks won’t be there, so there won’t be any interruptions.” The thought of being alone with her was nearly enough to drive me crazy.
“Beau.” She said my name on a breath that had my fingers gripping the steering wheel tighter as I backed out of the spot and shot out of the parking lot. She didn’t say my name often,but when she did, it always sounded so damn good coming from her mouth. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
I smirked as I pressed harder on the gas pedal, wanting to get as far away from the school and her side of town so she didn’t have any choice but to depend on me to get wherever she needed to go. Truth was, I just wanted to spend some time alone with her, and now that she was in my car, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to let her go. “What’s wrong, Bubbles? You nervous to be alone with me?” I glanced in her direction, shooting her a wink. “Worried you won’t be able to control yourself?”
I glanced in her direction to find her glaring at me like she wanted to stab me, but I knew by the way her cheeks were burning red it was more than just rage.
“First,stop calling me that,” she said on a growl that shouldn’t have sounded as hot as it did. “Second, the only thing I wouldn’t be able to control is the desire to strangle you.”
Christ, she was cute as fuck. “If you say so.”
From the corner of my eye I saw her cross her arms over her chest and push herself back in the seat with a pout. I much preferred her fire to the nervous, panicked energy she’d been giving off earlier. She was so much stronger than she thought, and I hated to see her cower. Not when she was better than all those assholes that caused her to do it.
Myself included.
Chapter Nine
PRESLEY
Past
I never thoughtI’d say it, but I was actually grateful for the fact Beau was annoying the ever-loving crap out of me because it helped distract me from the fact that I was in his car. With him. Heading straight into the lion’s den or pit of hell or wherever it was he lived.
The scent of spice and something outdoorsy, almost woodsy, filled the cab of the Jeep. I would have loved to say it was a gross smell that only succeeded in giving me a headache, but that would have been a lie. Truth was, being stuck in that seat, surrounded by that intoxicating smell that was all Beau was... comforting. Don’t ask me how that was possible, but it was the truth. It almost felt like being wrapped in a blanket. Sure, there was a narcissistic asshole trapped in there with me, but it was comforting all the same.
