Page 53 of The Second Kiss
I look down. The shorts are riding up my hips. I tug at them, but there isn’t enough fabric to cover what I want to cover. I feel exposed. I pull down the vanity mirror to check my ponytail.
“Relax, you look great.” He reaches over and puts his hand on my thigh. I jump and he moves it. “Sorry. Old habit.” But he grins like he’s not sorry.
I scoot closer to the door. I’m torn between feeling grateful to Brad for being willing to help, and not trusting him.
“Nervous?” he asks.
“I’m just worried about making it to my class.”
He puts his foot down harder on the accelerator. “Don’t worry. I’ll get you there on time.”
I fumble through kickboxing more than usual. Brad is watching from the balcony above the gym. He said he wanted to stay and take me home.
He’s waiting at the door when I walk out of the gym. “Ready to go?”
“I guess so.” But he doesn’t move. Brad is standing between me and the exit. There’s a wall behind me. I’m trapped.
He reaches for the strap to my tank top and rolls it between his fingers. “You don’t have to go straight home, do you?”
“Actually I—” I step back into the wall. I'm trying to think of a reason I have to get home.
“I’m free tonight. We could go out.”
I slide sideways along the wall until I’m on the other side of him. “I’m not sure that’s—”
“Jess, wait.” He lowers his eyes like he’s trying to work up the courage to say something. When he looks up, his face looks unsure. “I’m really glad I ran into you at the mall. I’ve actually been hoping you might be willing to give me another chance.”
I’m already shaking my head. “Brad, I–”
He puts his hand on my arm. “Please, Jess.”
I look for a way to escape. As if on cue, Jacob walks through the door with Gage behind him. A flood of relief hits me.
Brad sees them too and drops his hand. “What are they doing here?”
Jacob answers. “I came to pick up Jess. I didn’t think she had a ride home.” He moves closer to me, effectively blocking out Brad. "You didn't answer your phone."
“I had it in my bag during class,” I answer. Gage moves to the other side of me.
“She has a ride,” Brad says, but he doesn’t sound sure of himself.
“Her dad asked me to take her to the mall to pick up her car,” Jacob replies. “He wants me to get it started.” I’m not sure why he’s lying. He knows my dad is out of town.
“You can do that without her,” Brad says. “She parked on the east side, by the main entrance. It will be easy to find her car.”
I look from Brad to Jacob. I can feel the tension between them. “I need to go home and take a shower.”
“Right. I’ll take you home.” Brad smiles. “You can change and then we’ll go.”
“I could go for a night out,” Gage breaks in.
Brad narrows his eyes at Gage. “I don’t think we’ve met.”
I’m grateful for the distraction. “This is Jacob’s brother, Gage.”
Brad laughs. “Sure Gage. We’ll pick up Jaz and the four of us can go out." Brad turns his back on Jacob and puts his hand onmy shoulder. “I promise it will be more fun than hanging out in the rain waiting for him to fix your car.”
Jacob is behind Brad. I can’t read his expression. “I’d better go with Jacob.”
