Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 112892 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112892 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
“Where are we off to now?” I was sitting in the front seat of Aaron’s SUV. He was driving, and Diego and Cody were in the back.
“Well, not a store,” Aaron muttered. We’d already passed by several shopping centers, and the parking lots were jam-packed. I couldn’t say I’d never shopped a Black Friday sale because money had often been tight for the families I’d lived with, but it wasn’t my favorite way to spend the day.
Actually, I was rapidly realizing my favorite way to spend a day was with these three.
“Cody had an idea,” Diego said.
I would have twisted in my seat to look at him, but every time we made eye contact, it was like a jolt of electricity rocketed through me. This—this was the definition of sexual tension.
There’d be no more delays, and we both knew it. Tonight was the night I was going to sleep in his bed, and I couldn’t wait.
It was strange, though. In some ways, I’d had more experience with him than I had with Cody and Aaron before I spent the night with them. At that party, Diego and I had been all over each other, touching every body part that wasn’t completely covered, and a few that were. But since then, we’d stayed at arm’s length.
But now, it was like I could feel this connection—this chemistry—between us. This nervous energy that made me feel like I was about to boil over.
“What’s Cody’s idea?”
“Bowling,” said Aaron.
I laughed, thinking he was joking. Then Cody, who was sitting behind me, leaned forward and smacked my arm. “Wait, you’re serious?”
“Yes,” Cody muttered.
“Why?”
Aaron answered. “Well, first of all, unless there’s a Black Friday sale on renting shoes, it won’t be that crowded. Plus, Cody likes it. We went a few times last year once. He’s good.”
“Are you?” Cody asked me.
“I know which end of the lane to stand at and which end to aim at.”
“Clearly, you’re a prodigy,” Diego said.
Again, I refused to let myself look at him. Every time I did, it felt like he was undressing me with his eyes—or I was doing the same to him.
I sighed. “All right, let’s go bowling.”
Aaron pulled up right in front of the door of the alley.
“Why don’t you just park?” I asked him. “My leg’s fine. I can walk it.”
“Nah, door-to-door service for our girl,” Aaron said with a wink. “Go ahead, I’ll catch up.”
Cody was already on the sidewalk, and Diego came around and opened my door. I smiled at him as I stepped out, my cheeks heating up from the knowing gleam in his eye.
It felt like every interaction between us was some kind of sexual promise—except, wait, what the hell was he doing? As soon as I was clear of the car, he hopped in the passenger seat and pulled the door shut.
“On second thought, maybe Aaron and I will do some Black Friday shopping,” he said, lowering the window a little.
“What?” He had to be joking, right?
From the driver’s seat, Aaron’s hand shot out of the open sunroof, giving us a wave. “See you guys later. Have fun,” he called.
And then they sped off.
My jaw dropped.
I turned to Cody, who looked like he was trying not to laugh.
“What?” I demanded. “What’s going on?”
“I guess they like shopping,” he said, mostly managing to keep a straight face.
“Yeah, right. Like I really believe they’re going shopping. You know something, don’t you?”
“Me? No. Come on, let’s go inside.”
I grabbed his arm, stopping him. “You know something. Tell me.”
The glint in his eye confirmed my suspicion.
“I promised not to tell.” He grinned. “I’m good at not talking.”
I smacked his bicep, which was a mistake because his muscles were so firm that it made my fingers sting. “Tell me or I won’t go bowling.”
“Okay, but you’re missing out. It’s fun.”
I’d momentarily forgotten that trying to be more stubborn than Cody was an exercise in futility. So maybe I could bribe him instead. “I’ll bowl two games with you if you’ll tell me.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
“Okay.” He took a deep breath, opened his mouth… and then told me in sign language. His hands flew around for nearly a minute, so I suspected he was actually giving me the explanation I wanted, for all the good that it did me.
“That’s not fair.”
“You didn’t specify I had to tell you out loud.”
“I hate you.”
He immediately signed back.
“Were those the signs for ‘No, you don’t’?”
He nodded with a grin. “Come on.”
The next surprise was that I didn’t actually hate bowling—and that Cody was freaking amazing at it. The majority of the time, he rolled strikes. He could even pick up splits, though he only rolled one of those, and I half suspected it was only to prove to me that he could.
“How did you get so good at this?”
“I used to skip class and go bowling in high school.”