Read Online Lessons of the Heart by Jodie Larson - Free Book Online Page A

bottle for a new one.
    This time I purposely walk past his booth while putting a little extra wiggle in my walk.
    “Hi, Mr. Dumont. Enjoying yourself?” I say quickly as I pass. I can hear him half-cough, half-laugh, making my insides surge with excitement. There’s a tremendous power in knowing how you can affect someone, even by doing such a little thing like waving. Then again, if the roles were reversed, I would be in the same position.
    “Here’s the ketchup,” I say, putting the bottle in front of Chase while sliding back into my seat.
    “Thanks again. I could have gotten it.”
    I wave a dismissing hand in front of my face. “Don’t worry about it.” I take a bite of my sandwich and open another notebook. “Let’s work on our AP Writing assignment next.”
    “Sounds good.”
    We take our time writing our essays and bounce ideas off the other, trying to make sense of what we’re doing. I don’t usually have issues coming up with stunning essays. But tonight the words aren’t flowing. And I know the reason why.
    The waitress clears our empty plates and brings me another Diet Coke.
    “I’m so full. I shouldn’t have eaten that whole thing.”
    Chase laughs. “You’re a trooper, though.”
    My full bladder is screaming at me and I start to slide out of the booth again. “Need to make a pit stop. I’ll be right back.”
    Chase doesn’t look up, just nods his head as he continues to write his thoughts on the paper. I shove my hands in my back pockets and purposefully walk past James’s booth again. I know he’s watching me. I can feel it, like a slow warmth that crawls over my skin. It’s a dangerous thing I’m doing, but I just can’t help myself. I need to know that I’m not the only crazy person in this one-sided crush.
    I wash my hands and stare at myself in the mirror. After running my finger under my eyes to clean up my makeup, I put on a quick coat of lip gloss, making myself presentable to walk back out there. I don’t make it far because James is right outside the bathroom door, hidden in the shadows of the dark hallway.
    “You’re antagonizing me,” he says in a low, hushed tone.
    Holy fuck. That voice. I start to tremble. Suddenly my little game doesn’t seem like a good idea anymore. I told myself I was going to forget this. But when I see him, I need to have his attention. It’s sick and wrong, but it feels more right than anything else I know.
    I press my back against the opposite wall and bite my lip. “Yes,” I say honestly.
    He pushes away from the wall and boxes me in with his arms. “That’s dangerous.”
    “I know.”
    “Are you trying to push me?”
    His face is so close to mine. Those green eyes penetrate through the darkness, almost glowing in the muted light. My chest feels tight as it rises and falls with the shallow breaths I’m taking. God, he smells so good. My head feels light as his face gets closer to my ear.
    “What do you want Britta? Do you want me to take you away from here? Or do you want me to leave you alone and continue on with what we agreed upon?” he asks in a raspy voice laced with desire. “Tell me.”
    A chill runs up my spine as his nose makes contact with the skin just below my ear.
    “You smell so good right here. This fragrance stays in my head each time I see you, making it all I can think about. Tell me. What do you want?”
    I place my hands on his chest with the intention of pushing him away but finding myself unable to do so.
    “I-”
    His soft, warm mouth finds mine before I can complete my sentence. My body spirals with need, wanting more than just this one kiss. I’m slowly becoming addicted to him as our lips move against each other, neither of us pushing it any further. Our boundaries are already blurred and anything more will only complicate things.
    James leans against me; his forearms now flush against the wall. I feel dizzy with delight and the knowledge that this now confirms what I wanted to know.
    He wants me