Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 95950 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95950 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Unconsciously, I take a step in retreat. “If you’d prefer to work alone or with someone else, I totally—”
“Get inside.”
Those two words settle like heavy stones at the bottom of my belly, and I stay frozen in place, chewing my lower lip with indecision.
A feeling of foreboding suffuses every cell of my body. Somehow, I just know that if I step foot inside this house, it’ll lead to my utter ruin and destruction.
Before I can formulate an excuse and carefully back away, he snaps, “Now, Delilah.”
“Umm…”
Instead of waiting for me to vomit out the rest of the words, he swings away, stalking up the sweeping staircase.
My heart jackhammers a painful staccato against my ribcage as I track his movements with my eyes.
“Where are you going?” I call, voice wavering throughout the cavernous space.
“Up to my room.”
My gaze darts around the foyer. From the silence that surrounds us, there doesn’t appear to be anyone else home. “Do you think we could work in the kitchen or maybe the study?”
“Nope.”
Once he reaches the middle of the elegantly curved staircase, he stops and scowls. Sparks of fury fly from his eyes. Even from this distance, it’s almost a surprise when I don’t find myself burned to cinders.
“Should I call Pettijohn and tell her that my tutor can’t be bothered to tutor me? I’m sure that’ll go over well.”
A steady puff of air escapes from me as I reluctantly cross the shiny marble floor and follow him to the second floor. By the time I reach the third riser, he swings forward again and ignores me.
Privately, I admit that staring at the wide expanse of his bare back isn’t a hardship. I’ve never caught a glimpse of Austin when he wasn’t wearing either his school or football uniform. When I’ve laid awake at night, thinking about him, I couldn’t begin to imagine what lurked beneath his perfectly pressed shirt and blazer.
Now, the chiseled V of his lower abdomen will forever be scorched into my brain.
He swings a right at the landing and disappears. By the time I reach the top of the stairs, there’s no sign of him. I pause, staring down the long stretch of hardwood dotted with plush area rugs. Nerves flutter at the bottom of my belly.
I only have to be here for forty minutes.
We’ll go over the assignments and I’ll make sure he understands the directions. Maybe start a couple of problems. Once that’s done, I can take off.
Tomorrow, we can meet at the public library in town. Or even a coffee shop. Anything would be better than being alone with Austin.
In his room.
Now that I’ve given myself a silent pep talk, I straighten my shoulders and force my feet into movement. It takes eight steps to reach the first door. I hesitate, steeling everything inside me before cautiously peeking around the frame. I find Austin with navy-colored headphones covering his ears and heavy black weights in both hands. His back is to me as he curls each one to his chest. I hover in the doorway as his muscles ripple with each exertion.
Riveted by the movements, I can only stare.
After a few minutes trickle by and he continues to ignore me, I shift. “Austin.”
Nothing.
There’s not even a glance over his shoulder to tell me that he’s aware of my presence.
“Austin,” I say again, raising my voice.
More crickets.
I huff out an irritated breath before ripping my gaze away and glancing around the spacious interior. There’s a queen-sized bed shoved against the far wall and a long dresser that sits opposite of it.
Nothing more.
With no other options, I cross the room and settle on the edge of the mattress.
This is ridiculous.
Why am I here?
The guy is intent on ignoring me.
I pull out my phone and check the time.
Now we’re down to thirty-five minutes.
Well…whatever.
If Austin wants to waste his tutoring time by working out, that’s fine with me. The less we interact, the better off we’ll be. As soon as school is released for the day, I’m out of here. No one can say that I didn’t hold up my end of the bargain. And that’s all that matters.
My gaze reluctantly drifts to Austin before licking over his sculpted muscles. It’s crazy how buff this guy is. He must spend hours a day working out in addition to football practice.
Jasper plays the same sport but looks nothing like him.
This is the first time I’ve been in Austin’s presence, and he’s made a point of ignoring me. Normally, when we’re near one another, even in passing, his gaze is firmly locked on mine. It’s obvious that he holds me responsible for what happened Saturday night. If he’d just give me a chance, I’d explain that I had nothing to do with it. I was as shocked and appalled by how Jasper humiliated him in front of the school.