Page 36 of Bad Boys Don’t Date Clumsy Girls

Dylan waggles his brows. “Got it.”

“And that she misses your mouth on her…” I give him a forced smile, hopeful he’ll figure that one out too.

“Her…mouth?” Dylan raises a single eyebrow, distracting me for a second. Lord above, he is so cute.

“Not her mouth. Lower.”

Dylan’s eyes pop wide. “Her…” he scratches the side of his head and wrinkles his nose. “Her chest?”

I gasp. “Oh, no. Guess that would be logical. But no. Lower.” I wave a finger in the general direction of my lap. Dylan’s gaze follows, and he bursts out a laugh.

“Whoa, look at me with all the experience.”

A nervous laugh escapes me. “It was funny, because I slammed the book closed when I read that one, and the teacher actually stopped teaching and turned to me.”

Dylan’s unabashed laughter puts me at ease.

“Poor Ava. Reading porn in math class had to be very uncomfortable.”

I blush and wrinkle my nose at him. “Don’t make fun of me.”

“Oh, I’m not. I’m glad you told me.” His smile fades into anger. “But making Lydia a part of it really is too much.”

I walk into the next kennel to sweep. I hope my tone is matter of fact when I speak. “So, you’re not dating Lydia?”

Dylan wheels the bucket into the doorway and sighs. He leans on the mop handle, and his bicep flexes distractingly. It’s his turn to watch me work. “No, Lydia and I are just…friends, I guess. Our parents are dating and there’s a lot of drama, so we’ve learned to rely on each other when it gets tough.”

“Oh, I didn’t know your parents were split. I’m sorry.” I enter the next kennel and hear Dylan wheeling the bucket to the one I just vacated.

“Actually, my mom died three years ago.”

“Oh, Dylan, I’m so sorry.” I pop out of the kennel and stand in the doorway of the kennel he’s mopping. “I had no idea.”

“Thanks. Yeah, I don’t talk about it much. It was pretty screwed up.”

I stare at him, not sure what to say. He’s indicated several times now in our short conversation how messed up his home life is. “I…I have a sucky home life too, actually.” I swallow the lump in my throat. My entire body flushes with heat as my nerves run rampant. I’ve never told anyone besides Sam and Bek about the problems at home, and I feel so vulnerable even alluding to it out loud. “So, if you ever want to talk about it, I’d be happy to listen.”

I disappear into my kennel again, unable to witness his reaction to my revelation. Would he feel sorry for me? Be surprised? Think I’m making it up to get him to open up more? I don’t really want to know. Alarm bells ring loudly inside my head over having admitted my circumstances aloud. I want to snatch it back and erase it from the universe. I need to calm my heart rate and tame my flight instinct before I run, screaming into the hills.

“Oh, man, Ava, I’m sorry to hear that.” Dylan appears in my doorway, and I rush past him so he can mop. Instead of going into the kennel, he spins to watch me. “The same goes for you. If you ever need an ear, mine is always available.”

That’s pity I hear in his voice, isn’t it? He feels sorry for the poor clumsy girl. I flash him what I hope looks like a grateful smile and not a grimace. “Thanks.”

As he pushes into the kennel, I shout, “I’ll be right back.” And I flee to the sanctuary of the bathroom inside.

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