Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
“Wait and see.” That’s all I’ll tell her, because it’s still sort of fun to fuck with her. There are ways to do it without hurting her, though. In the end, I know she’ll be happy with what I have planned.
And she is happy when we pull up across the street from the art supply store. “Why are we stopping?” Her teeth sink into her lip. I’d swear I can see her pulse fluttering in her throat. She suspects. She even hopes. But there’s still a part of her that’s afraid to hope too hard.
“You need new supplies,” I explain, watching her face change as she starts to understand. “I thought we would pick up some for you. Whatever you want.”
Her eyes widen, then light up. “But, I mean… they ruined everything. I need all new supplies. Everything.”
“No shit, that’s what I just said.” I have to get out of the truck, then open her door and unbuckle her before she gets the hint and climbs out on her own.
“Briggs, you know I can’t afford this.”
“And you know that I can.”
“It’s too much.” She shakes her head.
I ignore her and pull her toward the store. “Come on. And don’t even think about pretending you don’t need a lot of stuff. I’ll start picking out random shit and force you to use it.”
Her giggle loosens something in my chest. I can breathe easier by the time we walk into the store and both take a basket. She eyes the one I’m holding, and I scowl. “You’re going to fill them both with whatever you want,” I warn.
She turns her face away, but isn’t fast enough to hide how happy she is.
29
WREN
Ifeel a little better the next day. I’m sitting on Briggs’s bed, my sketchpad in my lap and my charcoal in my hand as I doodle some flowers on the paper.
Briggs is sitting at his desk, typing away at his laptop, when he suddenly asks, “Do you have a bathing suit?”
My hand stills on my paper. “Why would I have a bathing suit? You know I can’t swim.”
Briggs turns around in his chair to face me. “That’s fine. Just wear your underwear.”
“I’m not going to another pool party with you, clothed or not,” I say sternly.
“I’m not taking you to another party. I’m taking you to our pool out back so I can teach you how to swim,” he explains.
Shocked, I close my sketchpad and lay it on the nightstand along with my charcoal. “You would do that?”
“I can’t always be there to save your ass, so I better teach you before you drown, and I don’t have anyone to do my homework for me,” he jokes with a grin.
“Homework, huh? I thought you needed me for tormenting? Is that an upgrade or downgrade?”
“Upgrade,” he quips with a wink. “I also need you for sex, of course.”
“I’m sure you could find someone else for that.”
“Do you want me to find someone else?” Briggs catches me by surprise with his question.
“No,” I answer honestly. The thought of Briggs with another girl makes my stomach twist with jealousy. “Would you want me to have sex with someone else?”
He suddenly gets up from his chair and stalks toward me. “You know the answer to that. If someone else touches you, I’ll break every one of their fingers.”
A shudder runs down my spine, knowing that he is not bluffing. I can see the bloodlust in his eyes just talking about it, and I remember his hands around my neck when he thought I was giving someone else a blow job.
“Do you even know how to teach someone to swim?” I say, desperate to change the subject.
“I taught Tia,” he brags proudly, taking a seat on the edge of the mattress.
“What about your dad?” I ask, worried about running into him.
“He isn’t here,” Briggs assures me. “Tia is still at school. We have a couple hours before she gets home.”
“Okay,” I say, though I still feel a bit unsure. Water has always scared me, but maybe that’s only because I can’t swim. Swinging my legs over, I get up from the bed to get my bag of clothes Briggs got for me from the dorm room.
I grab a black bra and matching panties to change into while Briggs goes to his closet. When he returns, he is wearing a pair of dark blue swimming trunks.
“You look delicious in your underwear,” Briggs says, his voice thick with lust, and his eyes filled with hunger.
“You can take them off me tonight,” I offer with a wink.
“Are you trying to seduce me, little bird?” he teases, taking a step closer to me.
“Maybe?” I shrug my shoulders and bat my eyes at him innocently.
He closes the distance between us with two long strides until his chest is pressed up against mine and our faces are only inches apart. He snakes his arms around my waist and gives my ass a squeeze that has me jerking toward him.