Read Online Unlovable by Sherry Gammon - Free Book Online Page A

voice rumbled soft, low, and yummy. I yanked
my head free and walked up the small path to my porch.
    “ Sooner or later, Maggie,
our lips will meet again. Personally, I’m voting for
sooner.”
    I wheeled around, almost losing my
balance. “Why do guys like you think every girl wants to make out
with them? I don’t get it.”
    The playful grin had vanished from his
face. “I didn’t ask you to make out, Maggie. Goodnight.” A twist of
guilt clutched at my belly as he walked away.
    Safely inside my house, I slithered
down the closed door, burying my face in my hands. There was no
need to be cruel. My mother was right, I was an unlovable
nothing.
    “ You’re back?” It shocked me
to find my mother still awake. Her voice carried a strange tone, it
was probably disappointment that I’d returned.
    “ Yes.” Thankfully, the
lights were still off. I didn’t want to explain to her why my face
was flushed.
    “ Go to bed! You have school
tomorrow.”
    Geez, my mother picked the strangest
times to go parental on me.
    I forced my weary body up and headed
toward the bathroom fully intending to wash off Seth’s kisses and
forget the whole night had ever happened. I marched down the hall,
past the bathroom, and went straight into my room, dropping onto my
bed. My mind wouldn’t stop thinking about him. I ran my fingertips
over my lips, remembering.
    “ Stop!” I rolled over,
forcing myself to sleep. Sorry to say, it didn’t end my thoughts of
Seth. He stayed front and center in my dreams. I gladly welcomed
the hideous sound of the alarm clock the next morning.

4
     
    Seth
     
     
    “ Here’s the artist rending
of the man who attacked Michelle Stringer.” Booker placed the
drawing on my desk as I ate my breakfast; a bowl of Honey-Nut
Cheerios. “Hmm, looks tasty, kid,” he said dryly.
    “ It’s not as if I have all
the time in the world to make a hot breakfast. I have to get to
school and do my job, unlike some of us.” I frowned down at the
soggy O’s. Man, I’ll be glad when this assignment’s
over.
    “ Someday you’ll be in charge
of your own team, and you can call the shots.” He set a mug down
next to my bowl. “To show you my heart’s in the right place, I made
you some of my famous hot chocolate.”
    I inhaled the sweet chocolaty steam
escaping from the cup. “Formula number seven?”
    “ Would I bring you anything
less?” He sat down and propped his black hard-soled shoes on the
corner of my desk, beaming as I savored the warm liquid.
    “ Are you ready to share the
secret ingredient with me?” I asked between sips.
    “ Nope.” His grin broadened.
“So does the drawing look like the guy from the park last night?”
he asked, pointing to the picture.
    I studied the man’s face. “It’s hard
to tell, it was pretty dark, and he was alone. Didn’t Ms. Stringer
state there were two of them?”
    “ Yes, but that doesn’t mean
they can’t do a little business alone.” He had a point. The drug
community had no problem stabbing each other in the
back.
    “ You watched this guy
walking throughout the park, but didn’t witness any drug deals
going down?”
    “ None.” I laughed. “However,
most of the people in the park last night weren’t exactly looking
to score. Well, not drugs anyway. There was a whole lot of
making-out going on.
    “ Once he spotted Maggie, his
demeanor changed. He stayed hidden in the trees, as if he was
tracking a defenseless animal, and he kept licking his lips.”
Repulsed, I shoved my breakfast away.
    “ I worked my way over toward
him just as he got a phone call. He was angry and kept telling
whoever it was, no , and that he was in charge, all the while watching
Maggie.”
    I got up and walked over to the
window, resting my arm on the sill. “He said there was this hot
girl who was all alone and that he was a man with needs.” My jaw
tightened. “He kept smiling and scratching himself.”
    Booker walked over and patted my
shoulders. “She’s okay, Seth.