Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 32770 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 109(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32770 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 109(@300wpm)
My plans fall apart when Sadie and her brother appear in my life. Her brother is actually my dad’s real son. That makes Sadie my—no, it can’t be because one look at Sadie and the only thought in my head is how to possess her.
New plan to execute. Figure out the complicated family ties. Try not to kill my new brother. Convince Sadie I’m the man for her. Easy, right? Well, maybe not but anything worth having is worth fighting for and Sadie’s worth everything.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
CHAPTER 1
DUNCAN
“Duncan, please stay for a moment after class,” Ms. Cotton, my homeroom teacher, asks.
A bunch of oohhs rise around me. I tilt my head to the side and survey the room. Everyone shuts up. I already know what this is going to be about. Horny teach wants in my dad’s drawers so she makes up some story about my behavior, my grades, my studying—or lack of it—to bring him in for a conference. Hardly a new story. I’ve dealt with her kind since I was in elementary school. If I had a quarter for every time a teacher wanted a few extra minutes after class, I’d have at least enough to buy myself a twenty-piece chicken bucket at Kane’s.
After the bell signals class is over, everyone is out the door except for Rose Benton. She slides her Mary Janes across the tile until she’s a whisper away from my desk.
“I’m having a party this weekend. My parents are going to Jackson Hole for a little romantic retreat. Dad’s thinking of buying a cabin up there.”
Since Benton’s dad owns all the car dealerships around here, a cabin likely means some mini mansion made out of logs and stocked with caviar. “He want my dad’s opinion on whether it’s built okay? Have him take some video and send it over.” Dad’s a big believer in doing small favors for others. Sort of a reap what you sow philosophy. I don’t really ascribe to that. All I’ve ever reaped is shit, and I haven’t done anything to anyone. I mean, okay, I might be kind of a dick, but it’s not like I actively shit on people. I just don’t want to allow anyone too close. It’s not personal.
“Okay but—”
“You have my email, right?”
“If you gave me your phone number—”
“Email’s good.” I get to my feet and sling my backpack over one shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Rose’s face crumples, but I don’t spend any time comforting her. She’s been trying to get me to come to a party since we were freshmen. She should know better by now. I brush past her and head for Ms. Cotton’s desk. She watches me with a frown but doesn’t say anything until Rose leaves.
“That wasn’t very nice.”
“How so?” I glance at the clock. It’s only three, so Dad’s probably still at a worksite. If I hurry and change, I could join him before he sends the crew home at five.
“Rose is a nice girl, and she was—”
“Rose only likes me because she thinks my bank account matches hers. You don’t see her inviting Dickinson to any of her weekend smashes because he lives on the east side where the only grass that grows is between cracks on the sidewalk.”
Ms. Cotton frowns. “You don’t know that’s true if you’ve never gone to a party.”
I roll my eyes. “I don’t need to go to know what the guest list is. Anyway, if that’s all you wanted to see me about, I’ll be going. How many parties I’m not attending isn’t really something you teachers can be interested in.”
She coughs. “Of course, I asked you to stay longer because I wanted to discuss your academics. I was a little sidetracked by the…drama.”
I arch an eyebrow because that’s not what it was. Ms. Cotton flushes slightly and drops her gaze to the paper in front of her which is labeled AP Calculus. I sigh and rock back on my heels. She picks up the packet and holds it out to me.
“I think you should consider moving to this class.”
“No.”
“The course materials in this one are too easy for you. Plus, it will give you an advantage when you go to college next year.”
I bite my tongue to keep from saying I’m not going to college because I know what kind of discussion that will get me. “I’m not interested.”
Frustrated, she taps the papers against her desk and says, “Would you tell your father I’d like to see him? Tomorrow? After class.”
“Sure.” I’m actually all for Dad getting some. He’s practically a monk, and I think it’s unhealthy for him. But Ms. Cotton won’t get anywhere with him. Dad says that there is only one woman for him and that he’s not interested in anyone else. That’s a nice concept, but the one woman he fell for disappeared on him. She probably wouldn’t have wanted to be a teen mom anyway, especially to a kid she didn’t give birth to. I don’t resent her. It’s reasonable. Like, I’m about the same age as Dad and his girl were when my parents died in a car crash, and I can barely keep a goldfish alive. I had one when I was like ten and it died. Dad and I flushed it down the toilet. To be honest, I wasn’t real attached to it. I never get attached to anything.