Page 112 of The Perfect Spiral
“My theory is coming together. He started dating other girls and being mean to you because he didn’t know how to handle his feelings for you.”
I laughed so hard I nearly fell off the board.
“I don’t disagree with you about him being a jerk, but he does have feelings for you. I bet he’s kissed you more times than just those two!”
My eyes widened. He was right. He was reading this like a book.
“I’m right, aren’t I?” He asked, and I turned away from him. “And you liked it, didn’t you?” I still didn’t say anything. “You don’t have to tell me, but answer me this, do you like him like that?”
I slowly turned to face him and gritted out, “No.”
“Then you’re lying to yourself, sweet cheeks. It’s written all over your face.” I rolled my eyes.
“I have never and will never like Carter. He’s not my type, and I most certainly am not his. Believe me, I could write ‘How to Date Knox Carter 101’ for the female population. I’ve seen him with so many girls.”
“Then he either did that to make you jealous or to get over you.”
I scoffed at his implication.
“Can we not talk about him anymore? He’s not even here, and he’s ruining my mood. I came here to escape everything.”
“There’s only so far you can run, but yeah, let’s swim back to shore. It’s too calm at the moment. You hungry? We could go to my house and make food?”
“You’re kidnapping me already?” I teased him.
“I sure am, you’re all mine, Thompson, all mine! I’m going to woo you with my exceptional cooking skills. You can help if it means I get to see your ass again,” he winked at me.
“You’re such a flirt, Hendrix! Let’s go, I’m starving!”
We paddled back to shore and walked up to his house, a short distance from the beach. It was stunning and surprisingly clean for a guy’s house.
We spent the rest of the day there, exchanging numbers so we could keep in touch. Despite the rocky start, it turned out to be a good day.
I met Ben, who is such a good person. I loved being around him. He made me open up so quickly, something I’d never done with anyone else, except for Knox when we were younger.
Then he started to hate me, and everything went downhill from there. I hoped the same wouldn’t happen with Ben.
After we ate, the day slipped away so quickly I lost track of time. He carried my board and walked me back to my car in the parking lot. I opened the door to let him put my board in the back.
He shut the door and leaned against it, crossing his legs and looking down at me with a smirk. “I haven’t had this much fun in a while.”
I nodded and smiled up at him.
“Me too. It’s been ages since I’ve been in the water. Plus, you managed to pull me out of my own head. So, thank you! Would you mind if we did this again sometime?”
“I suppose I’m irresistible, aren’t I?” His words were laced with playful sarcasm. I tried to suppress my laughter, but it bubbled out anyway.
“You have such a beautiful smile. You should wear it more often. It’s better than any outfit I’ve seen. In fact, you should just wear that and nothing else.” His smirk was infectious, causing me to raise an eyebrow and shake my head at him.
“In your dreams, Hendrix! Goodbye!”
“In my dreams tonight and every other night, Thompson. Especially while your commercial is still running! I bet it’s among the most downloaded and watched commercials now, if you catch my drift.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
“I certainly hope not! Bye, Hendrix! See you soon.”
“Oh no! I don’t think so! Don’t I get a goodbye hug?”
“Fine.” I walked over to his open arms and wrapped my own around his waist. I could feel the hard planes of his abs through his skin-tight shirt.
