Read Online The Color of Us (College Bound Book 2) by Laura Ward, Christine Manzari - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Laura Ward, Christine Manzari
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Claudia crossed her arms and lifted her chin so she could look down her nose at me.
“You can call me Liam.” I gave her another lazy grin.
She took a deep breath through her nose. “I don’t like surprises, Liam.”
“But Lex does.” Actually, I didn’t know that for sure.
Claudia’s hand clutched at the necklace around her neck. She was probably envisioning all the depraved ways I might know her daughter and what she liked. Claudia clearly didn’t want me to take her daughter out.
I didn’t blame her.
Alexis returned with her purse, a cautious smile finding its way to her mouth when she noticed the tension in her mother’s stance. “I’ll be back later, Mom.” She leaned in to give her mother a kiss. Claudia never took her eyes off me.
“I need to know where you’re going to be tonight, Alexis,” Claudia insisted.
Alexis’s eyes widened in embarrassment. “Mom. I’m eighteen, and this is just a date. It’s not like he’s taking me on a cross-country road trip.” She turned toward me, her lips twitching up in a grin. “You’re not are you?”
“Not tonight.” I winked.
Alexis smiled wide, her cheeks flushing pink. She held her purse loosely in her hand as she turned to her mom. “You’re the one who wanted me to get out of the house. Just following orders.”
“Alexis Marie Sinclair,” Claudia warned.
“Relax, Mom. I’ll see you later.”
Claudia opened her mouth to argue, but Alexis grabbed my hand and led me down the perfect walkway and toward what I’m sure her mother thought was a black hole of bad decisions. It was really just my Jeep.
Beside me, Alexis nearly glowed in her white jeans, tiny white tank, and sweater. She was so innocent; she was hard to look at directly. She really did look the part of an angel. Especially with me walking beside her, playing the part of sin so well.
I led her around to the passenger side and helped her in, all under the watch of Claudia’s death glare. Once we were buckled in, I turned the key in the ignition, wishing I’d spent the time to take the top down. I imagined the sight of Alexis’s long blond curls tangled in the grip of the wind and mentally kicked myself. That would have been fucking incredible. Although I felt a little sense of victory when I shut the driver’s side door and knew that Claudia could no longer see us beyond the tinted windows.
She could look down her nose all she wanted, but she didn’t know me. No matter what Claudia believed, not everything was black and white and could be shoved in a little box with a perfect little label. I had a feeling that’s the way Alexis had grown up, shoved in a little box, living in the confines of other people’s expectations. That box was slowly suffocating her.
I wanted to show her how to demolish her box, to smash the rules of black and white. I wanted her to break free, even if just for a little while.
***
The carnival was loud and gaudy and messy. Alexis’s smile and the tight grip she had on my hand as she pulled me through the entrance was all I needed to know that she loved it. And she was hungry to explore.
“Wait.” She stopped in front of me and began digging in her purse. When she extracted her phone from the bag, she tapped the shoulder of a girl walking by and asked her to take a picture of us.
We stood in front of the swings, and I pulled Alexis to my side where she clicked in place, almost as if I was a faulty machine getting a fancy upgrade. She made me feel new and improved.
I hugged her tightly, loving the way she smelled like berries—sweet and juicy, something to devour. I wondered how long I’d be able to resist before I had to pull her in for a kiss to see if her lips tasted as sweet as she smelled.
“What do you want to do first?” I laced my fingers with hers, and I could feel her body shiver with that simple touch.
She looked over her shoulder. “Let’s do the swings first.”
Damn straight. I’d finally get to see those long
“You can call me Liam.” I gave her another lazy grin.
She took a deep breath through her nose. “I don’t like surprises, Liam.”
“But Lex does.” Actually, I didn’t know that for sure.
Claudia’s hand clutched at the necklace around her neck. She was probably envisioning all the depraved ways I might know her daughter and what she liked. Claudia clearly didn’t want me to take her daughter out.
I didn’t blame her.
Alexis returned with her purse, a cautious smile finding its way to her mouth when she noticed the tension in her mother’s stance. “I’ll be back later, Mom.” She leaned in to give her mother a kiss. Claudia never took her eyes off me.
“I need to know where you’re going to be tonight, Alexis,” Claudia insisted.
Alexis’s eyes widened in embarrassment. “Mom. I’m eighteen, and this is just a date. It’s not like he’s taking me on a cross-country road trip.” She turned toward me, her lips twitching up in a grin. “You’re not are you?”
“Not tonight.” I winked.
Alexis smiled wide, her cheeks flushing pink. She held her purse loosely in her hand as she turned to her mom. “You’re the one who wanted me to get out of the house. Just following orders.”
“Alexis Marie Sinclair,” Claudia warned.
“Relax, Mom. I’ll see you later.”
Claudia opened her mouth to argue, but Alexis grabbed my hand and led me down the perfect walkway and toward what I’m sure her mother thought was a black hole of bad decisions. It was really just my Jeep.
Beside me, Alexis nearly glowed in her white jeans, tiny white tank, and sweater. She was so innocent; she was hard to look at directly. She really did look the part of an angel. Especially with me walking beside her, playing the part of sin so well.
I led her around to the passenger side and helped her in, all under the watch of Claudia’s death glare. Once we were buckled in, I turned the key in the ignition, wishing I’d spent the time to take the top down. I imagined the sight of Alexis’s long blond curls tangled in the grip of the wind and mentally kicked myself. That would have been fucking incredible. Although I felt a little sense of victory when I shut the driver’s side door and knew that Claudia could no longer see us beyond the tinted windows.
She could look down her nose all she wanted, but she didn’t know me. No matter what Claudia believed, not everything was black and white and could be shoved in a little box with a perfect little label. I had a feeling that’s the way Alexis had grown up, shoved in a little box, living in the confines of other people’s expectations. That box was slowly suffocating her.
I wanted to show her how to demolish her box, to smash the rules of black and white. I wanted her to break free, even if just for a little while.
***
The carnival was loud and gaudy and messy. Alexis’s smile and the tight grip she had on my hand as she pulled me through the entrance was all I needed to know that she loved it. And she was hungry to explore.
“Wait.” She stopped in front of me and began digging in her purse. When she extracted her phone from the bag, she tapped the shoulder of a girl walking by and asked her to take a picture of us.
We stood in front of the swings, and I pulled Alexis to my side where she clicked in place, almost as if I was a faulty machine getting a fancy upgrade. She made me feel new and improved.
I hugged her tightly, loving the way she smelled like berries—sweet and juicy, something to devour. I wondered how long I’d be able to resist before I had to pull her in for a kiss to see if her lips tasted as sweet as she smelled.
“What do you want to do first?” I laced my fingers with hers, and I could feel her body shiver with that simple touch.
She looked over her shoulder. “Let’s do the swings first.”
Damn straight. I’d finally get to see those long
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