Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 107673 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107673 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
An hour in and I had to admit I’d misjudged the situation. Outside of all the camo and cargo, these kids weren’t all that different from my friends at home. Well, except we’d never have a party in the woods. Alcohol was poured freely at most of our homes. But here, people really presented the personification of being good ole country folk—at least how it was explained to me by my new friends, Ginny and Jessica. They were welcoming girls who spoke with a charming southern twang.
On the flip side, the music and humidity sucked. No matter what happiness filled my heart watching Joy try and fail to learn the two-step, the hot, moist air did its best to give me pit stains and the insects were crazy big.
I sat on top of an old tree log positioned at the edge of the party. The party hadn’t gotten far enough in to have couples pairing off yet, but we were close. The guys stood about ten feet away talking about local guy interests—football and fishing. I didn’t do either.
But these girls were grounded and down to earth. Completely different from the ones I’d encountered at the resort. Everything was casual, nobody even seemed to know who I was. They relaxed me and I somehow let it happen.
Remaining true to my DD obligations, I passed on the pot and the pills circulating. It wasn’t a hardship. Besides, the same concerns about the spout on the keg applied. I didn’t know these people or where their lips had been.
A set of headlights rounded the corner separating the party from the road. A truck barreled forward at full speed, grabbing everyone’s attention. I honestly had no idea what was happening until a cheer rang out as the single cab pickup truck came to a screeching halt, dust flying every which way.
A giant stepped out of the driver’s side, throwing his hands in the air, shouting, “I’m here. Let the party begin.”
Another much louder cheer came from the majority of the guys headed in his direction. On the other side of the truck, the door opened. I couldn’t see who it was but heard an audible intake of breath from beside me.
“It’s Beau,” Jessica said. She leaned forward, craning her neck. “I can’t believe he’s here. How did Josh get him here?”
“I don’t know, but he’s smokin’ hot just like we knew he’d be,” Ginny said, getting to her feet to crane her neck to see better. “I don’t care that he’s fifteen. I’d go out with him anytime, anywhere.”
“Absolutely,” Jessica seconded. “Coach wants Josh to talk Beau into playin’ this year. He’s supposed to be really good with a national ranking, or somethin’ like that. That’s what Chae said.”
“What did I say?” said a girl that must have been Chae. She was tall, looked more mature than the rest of the group, but not necessarily older. Pretty in a natural way.
“About Beau and football,” Ginny answered when Jessica didn’t readily reply. Instead, she stood on top of the log to better see the circle of guys slowly moving back to the center.
She was funny. This Beau had to be something. I got to my feet to see the newcomer. My brain blipped as I stepped two feet forward. It all happened again. My heart hiccupped. My breath slowed to shallow puffs. Beau? The guy who crossed the road in front of me on his bike. The very one who slowed time, who lit my body on fire for the first time in my life. All the same primal urges bowled me over again.
An all-consuming, foreign sensation ricocheted over me. A chain reaction of sorts in its most fundamental form, making me unsteady and unsure.
I saw his face so clearly in my mind. I quickly forged an ambitious plan to spend the next few minutes persuading him to get to know me then making him mine. We’d have a long future together. My breath caught as I watched Beau follow the guys, but he appeared in no hurry to catch up. He glanced down at his feet and absently tucked at his T-shirt, making sure it lay right in the waistband of his jeans. He was tall, lean, and moved like a jaguar, owning the space around him.
Owning my heart was more like it.
Beau. The name played like a symphony through my mind.
No, that wasn’t right. It slammed through me like a loud Slipknot concert, sledgehammering his way into my heart.
From the backward baseball cap on his head, which I’d never seen anyone do before, all the way to a strong jaw and nice full lips, my heart imprinted his image across its surface to never be forgotten. I’d guess he was an athlete without knowing about the football.
From my rearview mirror, I’d seen the tumble he’d taken on the road. Now, I saw a large bandage on the underside of his left arm.