Read Online Matters of Circumstance by Ashley Andrews - Free Book Online

aloud, and it warmed her to hear it. He had never been the type to become abruptly offended, of course, but that didn’t stop her from feeling happy when he showed that he got something out of their relationship, too.
    “What? I’m telling you, I only do this stuff to make sure that you’re keeping on your toes,” he said through his laughter. “Why don’t you believe me?”
    “Because when I let it go, thinking ‘oh, he must know what he’s doing, being in calculus and all’ you get the completely wrong answer and can’t understand why.”
    That got him laughing harder. “Well, you know, that’s just—”
    “No excuses, please. I think I’ve heard them all already.”
    He bumped her lightly with his shoulder. “I suck at math, too. I need a calculator to do everything,” he said. “I just wanted to be close to you.”
    It was strange. They had basically been a couple for a week, and yet they still hadn’t done anything but hug. They didn’t even hold hands. Farrah had never heard of a relationship moving this slowly, especially not for teenagers. Kissing, for example, was usually one of the first things a new couple did. Farrah had never personally thought she would be much different when she got a boyfriend, but with Neal it had just… never happened. In fact, the only thing about their relationship that had changed was what they called it, and she had rather mixed feelings about that. She liked that Neal seemed to be taking this seriously, but on the other hand Farrah hadn’t become his girlfriend so they could continue acting like friends, either.
    That was why a little thrill wriggled down her spine when she heard him say he would make excuses to be near her. She was shy doing it, but she nudged closer to him all the same. “Oh yeah?”
    He tilted his head towards her with a tiny smile. “I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.”
    “What a relief,” she said, automatically mirroring his expression. “I wouldn’t want you to have an ulterior motive or anything.” His gorgeous, clear blue eyes seemed particularly close right now, and she found herself hardly aware of anything else as she sunk into them.
    ‘Come on,’ she thought at him. ‘Just do it already.’
    “Yeah, how cruel would that be?” And then he finally leaned in the rest of the way and kissed her for the first time.
    Well, sort of. It was one of those cutesy lightly-press-and-then-pull-away sort of kisses, and it was all of the encouragement Farrah needed to ask, “Why are you holding back?”
    “I’m trying not to be the stereotypical teenage-guy horn dog?” he suggested, raising his eyebrows. “Trying to have a little respect?”
    “How long have we known each other, and what did you do one of the first times we talked? I know you respect me, Neal. You don’t have to be a martyr about this.” Farrah shocked herself with her own boldness. He was just trying to be nice, and she was criticizing him? That wasn’t right.
    But she wanted to kiss him for real, not like how they did in the Disney movies. She wasn’t some made-up person, she was a real teenage girl with hormones and a strong attraction to the boy laying next to her. It sounded insensitive, but she wanted to forget formalities and have Neal steal her breath away.
    His eyebrows rose even higher as he watched her, and all of a sudden the sheer horniness of what she’d said crashed down on her. Heat flamed in her cheeks and, absolutely mortified, Farrah ducked her face into her arms. “Sorry. I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “That was a really stupid thing to say, and you were just trying to do the right thing. I am so sorry.”
    “I have to say, that was probably one of the last things I expected to hear from you,” he remarked conversationally. “I thought you’d get like how you are right now after I kissed you. Just shows how much we still have to learn about each other, you know?”
    “Stop it, please. You’re only making things worse.” She