Read Online Shattered by Elizabeth Lee - Free Book Online Page A

 It made me uncomfortable to think about the other guys looking her in that shirt the way I was.  She looked sexy as hell.  I tried not let myself think about the way her jeans hugged her just right, the denim stretched taut over that perfect little ass.  I wanted to throw her over my shoulder and carry her out of there.
    I played it cool, kept my distance from the crowd, not letting but a few people know I was there.  I watched her bounce around the backyard, January following her every move.  When she and Hap started playing beer pong, I was grateful that she was by his side.  I knew that Jan had been looking out for her, but it made me feel better to know there was a guy to keep the crowd of horny bastards that were lined up to talk to her at bay.  I’d hung out with Hap a few times over the years and we’d played basketball together since junior high school.  He was a good guy and funny as hell.  I saw the girls stalk off toward the house.  I could tell by the tilted sway in Alyssa step that she’d passed her drinking limit a while ago.  She always was a lightweight.  I smiled thinking about the night of her sixteenth birthday.
     
    “Are you ready yet!?” Garrett yelled up the stairs.  That girl had been getting ready for the better part of the afternoon.  We’d told her that we’d pick her up at 7:00 p.m., giving her four hours to get ready.  What could she possibly be doing that was taking so long?  This was the problem with having a girl as a friend.  We were always waiting around on her to primp or tease or pluck or whatever else girls do.  It took her half an hour to pick out the perfect pair of shoes to wear to the damn grocery store.
    “What are you doing up there?” I hollered, as I paced the floor in frustration, crossing paths with Garrett.
    ‘I’ll be down in a minute!” she yelled. “Slow your roll!”  That girl’s smart mouth drove me crazy.  She was only person I knew that could push all of my buttons at the same time.  Her stubbornness was infuriating.  Garrett always said that we were equally stubborn, but I knew she was way worse than me.
    “Seriously, Alyssa…” I started to call up, but stopped short when I saw her on the landing.  There were no words to describe how amazing she looked. I’d seen her in jeans, shorts, prom dresses and swimsuits, but there was something about the way that strapless green sundress clung to her body that took my breath away.  I knew she’d been up there getting ready all afternoon, but she made it look effortless.  When she wrinkled up her cute little nose and smiled big, showing the dimple in her left cheek I wanted to stop everything and tell her exactly how I felt about her.
    “I’m ready.” She put her arms out at her sides and offered up and an exaggerated curtsey requesting ooohs and aaahs.
    “Ya look great,” Garrett commented shortly. “Now can we go?”  He was in a rush to get to the partying portion of the evening.  While she’d been getting ready for her birthday celebration, we’d been carefully planning a surprise for her that would go down in the books.  He was anxious and so was I, but for very different reasons.
    “Yeah,” she dropped her shoulders when she didn’t get the confirmation of her hard work from Garrett and sulked down the stairs.
    “Great!” He was out the door before she hit the last step.   I placed my hand on the small of her back and ushered her out the front door.  She was close enough that I could smell the coconut scent of her shampoo in her soft, loose curls.  I quietly let it sink in to my senses.
    “You look beautiful, birthday girl,” I whispered as she walked past me and through the door.  When she turned her eyes back to meet mine, I was pleased to see that the dimple had returned.  The gaze that we held almost convinced me that she felt the same way I did.  She leaned in and I thought that she might actually kiss me.  I felt my breath catch as I anticipated