Read Online Very Twisted Things (Briarcrest Academy #3) by Ilsa Madden-Mills - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Ilsa Madden-Mills
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down for coffee. First time ever. My ego took a hit and needs some stroking.”
I rolled my eyes. “Fine. Thank you for the soliloquy. Next time try to remember all your lines.”
He shook his head, all teasing gone. “Thank me down here. Please.”
Okay, first he was all flirty, then pissy because of the phone call, and now I had no idea what was going on. But I was drawn to him with a recklessness that seemed to throw all caution to the wind.
“Give me a sec.”
I turned and bolted straight to my bathroom where I flung open the cabinet, swallowed down some mouthwash, yanked the ponytail out of my hair, and put on lip gloss. Obvious much?
I zipped down the stairs, making myself slow down as I opened the downstairs patio door and stepped outside. Breathless, I took a few big gulps. Be cool.
I marched up to him, stopping just shy of his bare chest. I tilted my head up to gaze into his eyes. “Hi.”
He blinked down at me, as if trying to clear his head. “Hi.”
I smiled at the shyness in his voice. “I’m here,” I said.
“You let down your hair.” He sounded dazed. Winded.
“Yeah.” I touched it self-consciously, twisting a strand around my fingers. I felt fourteen all over again and Bobby Malone was about to kiss me in a game of spin the bottle. “I swallowed some mouthwash too.”
His eyes went low. “Because you thought I might kiss you?”
“Aren’t you?”
He thought about it, his hand coming up to cup my cheek, the heat of it making me sway into him. He smelled like the sea, like the summer vacations my parents and I used to take at our weekend house in the Hamptons, where I’d wade my feet in the surf while my parents walked on either side of me, watching the sunset over the Atlantic.
I hadn’t even known it then, but those were the happiest moments of my life.
He smelled like that. Happiness. Fairy Dust.
And with that thought, part of me wanted to retreat. To run back into the house far away from his magic.
But I couldn’t. Something about him had me transfixed.
He leaned his head down, his lips close to mine. The heat from his body seared me, and I inched toward it. And just when I thought he was going to take my mouth, he stopped. “I can’t kiss you until you tell me who Geoff is.”
“He’s not here, I know that.”
He studied me. “You’re thinking about him, aren’t you?”
“Not even close.”
His other hand cupped my cheek, his voice gentle as falling rain. “I don’t like this dude very much. Can I kick his ass for you?”
Oh. He was being protective. He thought I was hurting because of a guy.
“Geoff didn’t hurt me, okay? If anything, I hurt him.”
He mulled that over, processing it, surprise flickering across his face “Fine. But I do have the potential to hurt you.”
“Let me be the judge. I’m game for you to kiss me. Right here, right now. Trust me, my therapist will be thrilled. Maybe even give me a discount next time I go in.”
“I’m not sure if I can stop if I do.”
I scowled. “Is this my punishment for turning you down?”
“V, I can think of several ways to punish you creatively , and not kissing you is not one. It’s punishment for myself. I—I’ve made a promise to myself that I won’t get involved with anyone.”
I closed my eyes briefly, hiding my disappointment from his searching eyes. “Fine, but if we did—kiss—what do you think it would be like?”
He traced my mouth with his finger. Gentle-like, his thumb pressed on my lower lip, and my tongue darted out to taste his skin. He watched my lips, his own parting.
“What are you thinking?” I whispered. I was thinking of him coming into my house with me.
“That if we kissed, you’d bring out the animal in me, and I’d die to taste every single inch of your softness with my tongue. And not just your mouth. I’d want my lips all over you. I’d lick every corner and crevice. I’d want to eat you raw, consume you until there was nothing left.”
I
I rolled my eyes. “Fine. Thank you for the soliloquy. Next time try to remember all your lines.”
He shook his head, all teasing gone. “Thank me down here. Please.”
Okay, first he was all flirty, then pissy because of the phone call, and now I had no idea what was going on. But I was drawn to him with a recklessness that seemed to throw all caution to the wind.
“Give me a sec.”
I turned and bolted straight to my bathroom where I flung open the cabinet, swallowed down some mouthwash, yanked the ponytail out of my hair, and put on lip gloss. Obvious much?
I zipped down the stairs, making myself slow down as I opened the downstairs patio door and stepped outside. Breathless, I took a few big gulps. Be cool.
I marched up to him, stopping just shy of his bare chest. I tilted my head up to gaze into his eyes. “Hi.”
He blinked down at me, as if trying to clear his head. “Hi.”
I smiled at the shyness in his voice. “I’m here,” I said.
“You let down your hair.” He sounded dazed. Winded.
“Yeah.” I touched it self-consciously, twisting a strand around my fingers. I felt fourteen all over again and Bobby Malone was about to kiss me in a game of spin the bottle. “I swallowed some mouthwash too.”
His eyes went low. “Because you thought I might kiss you?”
“Aren’t you?”
He thought about it, his hand coming up to cup my cheek, the heat of it making me sway into him. He smelled like the sea, like the summer vacations my parents and I used to take at our weekend house in the Hamptons, where I’d wade my feet in the surf while my parents walked on either side of me, watching the sunset over the Atlantic.
I hadn’t even known it then, but those were the happiest moments of my life.
He smelled like that. Happiness. Fairy Dust.
And with that thought, part of me wanted to retreat. To run back into the house far away from his magic.
But I couldn’t. Something about him had me transfixed.
He leaned his head down, his lips close to mine. The heat from his body seared me, and I inched toward it. And just when I thought he was going to take my mouth, he stopped. “I can’t kiss you until you tell me who Geoff is.”
“He’s not here, I know that.”
He studied me. “You’re thinking about him, aren’t you?”
“Not even close.”
His other hand cupped my cheek, his voice gentle as falling rain. “I don’t like this dude very much. Can I kick his ass for you?”
Oh. He was being protective. He thought I was hurting because of a guy.
“Geoff didn’t hurt me, okay? If anything, I hurt him.”
He mulled that over, processing it, surprise flickering across his face “Fine. But I do have the potential to hurt you.”
“Let me be the judge. I’m game for you to kiss me. Right here, right now. Trust me, my therapist will be thrilled. Maybe even give me a discount next time I go in.”
“I’m not sure if I can stop if I do.”
I scowled. “Is this my punishment for turning you down?”
“V, I can think of several ways to punish you creatively , and not kissing you is not one. It’s punishment for myself. I—I’ve made a promise to myself that I won’t get involved with anyone.”
I closed my eyes briefly, hiding my disappointment from his searching eyes. “Fine, but if we did—kiss—what do you think it would be like?”
He traced my mouth with his finger. Gentle-like, his thumb pressed on my lower lip, and my tongue darted out to taste his skin. He watched my lips, his own parting.
“What are you thinking?” I whispered. I was thinking of him coming into my house with me.
“That if we kissed, you’d bring out the animal in me, and I’d die to taste every single inch of your softness with my tongue. And not just your mouth. I’d want my lips all over you. I’d lick every corner and crevice. I’d want to eat you raw, consume you until there was nothing left.”
I
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