“Aw, that’s so sweet, Masie,” I joked, mostly to annoy her, “But if you’re about to ask me out on a date, I’m going to have to decline. Not because I don’t like you and think you’re not pretty, but I just don’t swing that way.”
She sighed. “Oh, Alexis.”
She says that a lot when she's frustrated with me. She reminds me of my mom when she does, but if I ever told her that, she’d get pissed.
I swallow hard at the sudden thought of my mom. While I try not to think about her or my dad, sometimes thoughts of them sneak up on me. Which might sound weird, but after they died in a car accident when I was fifteen, I made a vow to not deal with the pain. And that meant not thinking about them. And that is part of the reason why “the wall,” as Masie calls it, was put up. That’s when I became more closed off. But it’s better that way. Easier. Because trust me, I’ve tried a few times to let the wall down, but the pain hidden behind it is too unbearable.
“Earth to Alexis.” Masie waves her hand in front of my face, yanking me from my thoughts. “Did you hear anything I just said?”
“Um, sure,” I lie, but she draws down her sunglasses and narrows her eyes at me . I sigh. “All right, fine, I didn’t hear you. I’m sorry. But I was just thinking about something.”
Her brow crooks. “About Blaine?”
“No.” It might be the first time I answered that question truthfully, since usually, he’s on my mind
A lot.
Okay, that was a lie. I think about Blaine about ninety-nine percent of the time. But hey, what else am I supposed to think about? Blaine is the easiest thing to occupy my brain.
“I’m telling the truth.” I flip the page of the mystery book I’ve been reading for the last hour while Masie and I have been sun tanning.
Or well, Masie has been tanning while I doused my body in so much sunscreen I feel like a greasy French fry.
Masie is the opposite of me, her tan skin glistening against the sun. Add that to her sun-kissed blonde hair and curvy body, and she’s practically a beach goddess. And then there’s me. Long, dark brown—nearly black—hair, pale skin and a few freckles here and there, tall and slightly on the gangly side. I look like I belong in the basement or a crypt. But that’s okay. The look doesn’t bother me. It used to, back in the day when I actually used to wear a lot of pink and glittery things. But after my parents died, I decided to hell with it and became a new person. A person who wears a lot of black and studded clothing and who would never, ever be caught dead wearing anything sparkly.
“You don’t belong in a crypt,” Masie says as she reaches for a glass of lemonade that's on the table between us.
“I didn’t mean to say that aloud.”
“Well, you did.” She takes a sip of the drink then sets the glass down. “You know, you talk to yourself a lot.”
“And you say that a lot.”
“Touché.” She grins.
I mirror her grin, but frown when the back gate to her house creaks open. Bolting upright, I rush to grab my towel to cover up. Because there is no way in hell I’m going to let anyone see this much of me.
“Don’t you dare.” Masie sits up and snatches the towel from my hands.
“Give me that back,” I growl, lunging at her.
Grinning, she jumps up from the lounge chair and skitters toward the diving board.
The gate is around the corner of her two-story brick house that she rents from her parents, so I don’t have a view of who’s coming back here. But the last thing I want is for her younger brother, the pool cleaner, the landscapers, or anyone else to see me rocking a two-piece. Granted, it’s a nice two-piece. Black with cute little boy short bottoms embroidered with stars. But my stomach, legs, cleavage—what I have anyway—and even the bottom of my ass cheeks are on display. And I’m not comfortable with anyone other than Masie—and even her I’m not that comfortable with—seeing me like this.
“Masie,” I warn as I hurry toward her. “If you don’t give me my towel back, I’ll…”
She hops onto the diving board with my towel in her hand. “You’ll what?” She inches toward the edge.
“I’ll….” I rack my brain for a nice, vicious threat, my gaze skimming the backyard, the pool, the lounge chairs. When I spot the high heeled, designer shoes she wore out here, an idea strikes me. I turn around, grinning at her. “I’ll throw your shoes in the pool.”
Her grin fades. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Wanna bet?” I pad over to the lounge chair, pick up her shoes, and walk to the edge of the pool. Then I dangle her pretty footwear that I could never afford over the water. “Now, come on, give me my towel back.”
She eyes the shoes then sighs as she backs up. “Fine. But please just step away from the water. You’re making me nervous.”
I take a few steps back, but remain close enough in case she backs out of our agreement. Frowning, she makes her way off the diving board and climbs down the ladder. As her feet plant onto the concrete, the back gate intruder rounds the house.
Suddenly, her younger brother, the pool boy, or the landscapers doesn’t seem that terrible of options. Because the person that enters the backyard is none other than Blaine.
As always, he’s in full, sexy form; light brown hair, the most gorgeous blue eyes ever, a rock hard body, lean arms. He’s sporting board shorts and a green shirt, my favorite color on him…
About the Author
Jessica Sorensen is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who lives in the snowy mountains of Wyoming. When she’s not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family.
Also by Jessica Sorensen
Other books by Jessica Sorensen:
Bad Boy Rebels:
Discovering Zhara: Kissing Benton
Discovering Zhara: Meeting The Bad Boy Rebels
Discovering Zhara: Going Undercover (coming soon)
Discovering Zhara: Bad Girl Training
Discovering Zhara: Sweet Lies & Kisses (coming soon)
Bad Boy Detectives:
Reinventing Alexis: A Wild Night (coming soon)
Shadow Cove Series:
What Lies in the Darkness
What Lies in the Dark (coming soon)
Mystic Willow Bay Witches Series:
The Secret Life of a Witch
Broken Magic
Stolen Kisses
Untitled coming soon)
Standalones:
The Forgotten Girl
The Illusion of Annabella
Confessions of a Kleptomaniac
Rules of a Rebel and a Shy Girl
Broken City Series:
Nameless
Forsaken
Oblivion
Forbidden (coming soon)
Guardian Academy Series:
Entranced
Entangled
Entice (coming soon)
Sunnyvale Series:
The Year I Became Isabella Anders
The Year of Falling in Love
The Year of Second Chances
Unraveling You Series:
Unraveling You
Raveling You
Awakening You
Inspiring You
The Coincidence Series:
The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden
The Redemption of Callie and Kayden
The Destiny of Violet and Luke
The Probability of Violet and Luke
The Certainty of Violet and Luke
The Resolution of Callie and Kayden
Seth & Greyson
The Secret Series:
The Prelude of Ella and Micha
The Secret of Ella and Micha
The Forever of Ella and Micha
The Temptation of Lila and Ethan
The Ever After of Ella and Micha
Lila and Ethan: Forever and Always
Ella and Micha: Infinitely and Always
The Shattered Prom
ises Series:
Shattered Promises
Fractured Souls
Unbroken
Broken Visions
Scattered Ashes
Breaking Nova Series:
Breaking Nova
Saving Quinton
Delilah: The Making of Red
Nova and Quinton: No Regrets
Tristan: Finding Hope
Wreck Me
Ruin Me
The Fallen Star Series:
The Fallen Star
The Underworld
The Vision
The Promise
The Fallen Souls Series (spin-off from The Fallen Star):
The Lost Soul
The Evanescence
The Darkness Falls Series:
Darkness Falls
Darkness Breaks
Darkness Fades
The Death Collectors Series (NA and YA):
Ember X and Ember
Cinder X and Cinder
Spark X and Spark
Unbeautiful Series:
Unbeautiful
Untamed