Someone to Love Read Online Free Page B

one of those, right?” He taps my shoe with his and
scoots in. The thick veins in his arms protrude like cables, and
his muscles bulge for no good reason. It makes me want to touch
them and see what they feel like.
    “No bad breakup for me,” I whisper. “If you
don’t give your heart away, you can’t get it broken.”
    His pale eyes latch onto mine. He holds my
gaze, heavy as steel.
    “No truer words were ever spoken,” he says it
low, sad as if he means it but too much.
    Cruise softens and gives a little smile. He
washes over me with a delicate gaze, and my insides pinch
tight.
    There’s something brewing inside him, inside
me, and I’ve never felt this way before. It’s probably just his
hormonal superpowers having their effect on me—our pheromones
conducting their obligatory exchange. I bet he slays women nightly
with that same “broken heater” routine. I suspect he’ll volunteer
to keep me warm by way of body heat any moment now. Or at least I’m
hoping.
    “I can see why girls flock to you.” I turn my
face toward the fire in an effort to break the spell.
    “Why’s that?” He catches my gaze again, and
this time its impossible to look away.
    “Because anybody can have you.” I don’t
bother telling him he’s gorgeous. I’m sure he’s well aware as
evidenced by all the positive vaginal reinforcement. “You haven’t
known me for three hours, and I bet if I ripped my jeans off, you
wouldn’t turn down the offer.” Crap. I think I just subliminally
propositioned him.
    “You’re a smart girl, Kenny—beautiful too.”
He gives the curve of a lewd smile and everything in me burns with
heat.
    I’ve never been called beautiful by a person
of the penis before and this pleases me with a strange intensity.
It’s as if I’ve needed it, craved it like a glass of water for my
parched affection.
    “So when do we get to the ripping of the
jeans?” He inquires with far more eagerness than expected, and a
titter of excitement prickles through me.
    “I take it you think my experiment should
commence with you.” Please God say yes.
    “The experiment in which you attack the
unsuspecting crotches of every living male on campus? Unless, of
course, you plan on including corpses in your little jaunt on the
wild side. We house those in the health and sciences building.” He
gives a disbelieving smile. “Let the good times roll, Kenny.” It
comes out a dare as he peers at me seductively from under his
hooded lids—a dirty grin forces his dimples to twitch in turn.
    “I’m starting with Pennington, remember?” I’m
quick to shoot him down. Pennington probably counts as a corpse.
“Besides, it would make my mother’s life if he were my first
ex-husband. I think it’s the cash payout that has her drooling more
than it is some romantic notion that her daughter and the son of
her once upon a best friend, go down in matrimonial flames
together.”
    “Sounds painful.”
    “It will be.” I take in his full lips, his
high-set cheeks. He’s driving me insane by way of his five o’clock
shadow. His lids hang heavy as he openly eyes my cleavage.
“Although—I should probably get some experience under my belt
before I go after a prize like Pennington. You know, practice the
fine art of saliva swapping, among other things.” God, how I would
love to practice the fine art of transferring bodily fluids with,
Cruise Let-Me Deliver-You-from-Your-Virginity Elton.
    He examines me an inordinate amount of time,
uncertain of whom I profess to be. He picks up my hand and presses
his lips over the back, soft and warm. It sets everything in me on
fire.
    “I’m more than happy to offer up my tutorial
services.” He leans back and sweeps his eyes over me as if I were a
meal, but there’s a sadness lurking in them just beneath the
surface.
    “So when do we begin?” I’m not sure I’m ready
to give it all away right here in Massachusetts next to a blazing
fire with a guy I hardly know, but a small part of me