He responded right away. “If I was your boyfriend I’d break the rules for you.”
I smiled and stared at his words. I tried to think of something flirty to say back. “But you’re not my boyfriend. You’re a dirty kiss thief.”
“Dirty? Hardly.”
I laughed.
And he texted again before I could respond: “And I know I’m not your boyfriend. Because if I was, you would have sent me pictures of whatever you got at Odegaard last night. Still want a second opinion?”
My heart started racing. He was asking for more sexy photos. All I’d gotten last night was my homecoming dress. But my mom had just given me something from Odegaard that fit the bill a lot better.
I hugged my red panda against my chest and headed back downstairs to my room. But when I reached the door, I realized that if Sophie was here, she’d instruct me to be a little more creative than that. I kept walking down the hall and opened the door to the billiards room.
This was going to be a much better picture. I locked the door behind me and changed into the silky pajamas. The hem of the shorts was definitely a little above the bottom of my butt. And the top cut very low and clung to everything.
I grabbed a pool stick and set my camera up on the bar. I hit the timer and then ran over to the pool table. I leaned over and arched my back. The camera flashed as I pretended to shoot the cue ball.
I ran over and looked at the picture. The view of my ass was good, but it didn’t show off the low cut of the top. I hit the timer again and ran back over to the pool table. I hoisted myself up on the side of it and leaned forward a bit. I spread my legs and held the pool stick between them. The camera flashed.
That one felt like a winner. I slid off the pool table and grabbed my phone. Sophie definitely would have approved. I looked so saucy in this one. But I liked the other one too. Before I could chicken out, I sent him both.
I leaned against the edge of the pool table and waited for his response. And waited. And waited.
God, what had I been thinking sending those? Everyone but Sophie kept warning me not to send my kiss thief sexy photos. What if the kiss thief decided to print them out and put up fliersof them all over the school or something? I wouldn’t just be expelled. My dad would probably lock me in a tower for ten years or something.
“You better not send these to anyone else,” I texted. “Or share them in any way. Or I’ll kill you.”
I stared in horror at what I’d just typed. Had I just threatened to murder him? I groaned again.
But then he responded. “You have nothing to worry about. If anyone else ever saw these pictures, I’d kill them. Your body belongs to me. Every inch of it.”
I swallowed hard and my throat made a weird squeaking noise.
“I don’t like sharing, baby. Ditch the boyfriend.”
Every inch of my skin suddenly felt hot. And at the same time...I kind of wanted to throw up. I just needed to get one suspect off my list. “Are you Mr. Halifax?”
“Lol. Do you have a teacher kink? Because you can call me whatever you want as long as no one else touches you.”
That was not an answer! “No. I don’t have any kinks.”
“No, you just don’t know them yet. I’ll teach you. Your first lesson will be when I steal third base.”
Teach me?! First lesson?! Oh my God, no! It’s Mr. Halifax. It’s Mr. Halifax. Ah!I was definitely going to be sick. But for some reason my heart was still racing. I fanned my face. I neededa shower or something to cool off. Yeah, that would make me feel better. I grabbed my bag and stuffed animal, unlocked the door, and looked both ways. The coast was clear. I hurried to my bedroom to change out of my “first time” pajamas my mom bought.Gross. Everything about tonight was so weird.
But “I’ll teach you” kept running around in my head. And the fact that he was going to steal third base. I didn’t know anything about third base!
I was definitely panicking. I needed to call Sophie. She’d also calm me down about the zombie apocalypse.
I closed the door behind me and dropped my bag. I pulled off the satin top and threw it on the ground.
“And here I thought we’d be working on our assignment,” said a deep voice.
I screamed at the top of my lungs as I spun around and chucked my red panda stuffed animal at the intruder.
Axel was sitting on my bed staring at me. His hands were behind his head as he leaned against the headboard. It looked like he’d been sitting there for a while. But he was alert enough to reach out and catch my stuffed animal in one hand. “Shh,” he said. “Are you trying to get caught?”
I threw my arm over my bare chest. “What are you doing here? You scared me half to death! I thought you were a zombie!”