Adorkable(74)

Ash pointed at me. “That’s it. That’s what I’m talking about.”

“What?”

“Did you hear yourself just then? You defended him. He’s the one who’s put your heart in a grinder, and here you are sticking up for him.” Ash’s eyebrows lowered; in a strange voice he said, “You really love the guy, don’t you?”

“I do,” I said. Odd how easy it was to say that to Ash. I’d never thought I could admit that to anyone, let alone The Whip, but there it was.

He looked away, released my hand slowly, passing his fingertips through his hair.

“Guess I can’t compete with that,” he said under his breath.

“Thanks for everything, Ash.” I smiled, meaning it. “Now that I know you—the real you—I can honestly say you’re one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met.”

Ash laughed. “You’re just as bad as Becks, you know that?”

I frowned. Where did that come from?

“Spitz, I’m not a nice guy,” he said flatly. “I don’t want to be your friend.”

“Huh?”

He rolled his eyes as he stood. “You smart girls are always the last to figure these things out. Why would a guy like me ask you out if all I wanted was friendship? You may be cute, but you’re not too observant.”

“Huh?” I said again. I understood the words coming out of his mouth, but the meaning behind them was a mystery. It was like he was intentionally trying to confuse me.

Leaning down, trapping me between his arms, he placed a hand on the bench on either side my head.

I gulped as he studied my face. His resulting smile was pure bad boy, no nice guy in there whatsoever.

“I told you before, I like you, Spitz,” he said, and I drew in a breath. “I like you a lot.”

While I sat there in shock, he smoothly closed the space between us, his lips moving over mine in a kiss like a match striking tinder. Heat shot up between the two of us. It burned for a few seconds and didn’t immediately cool as he leaned back.

Hooker had been right. Ash was a great kisser. It was brash and unexpected, sort of like the man himself, but it went no deeper than that. As good as he was, as hot as the kiss had been—and it had been smokin’, believe me—I hadn’t felt anything like I did with Becks. When Becks kissed me, it’d been right, so completely perfect that I knew instantly. That was where I belonged.

“Ash, I like you, too, but…” I trailed off, not wanting to embarrass him. It wasn’t that I hadn’t liked kissing Ash. Any girl would’ve loved kissing him, but there was one problem: He wasn’t Becks. How was I supposed to let him down easily?

The Whip shrugged as if he could read my mind. “Just wanted to let you know you have options. Maybe it’s for the best, since neither of us will be in Chariot next year.”

“You won’t?” I asked, surprised. “Why?”

“Dad’s got his eye on a Senate seat,” he said sarcastically. “So guess that means I’m off to private school for senior year. Fun, fun.”

We both knew it wouldn’t be. For a senior with collegiate soccer aspirations, Chariot High was the place to be. It was a real shame his parents were taking him out before he could get scouted.

“I’m so sorry, Ash.” Reaching out, I placed a hand on his arm in sympathy. “That sucks.”

“It does.” He caught my hand, eyes playful, as he ran his thumb along the back of my knuckles. “I’ll miss you, Sally Spitz.”

I laughed. “Miss you, too, Stryker.”

“If things don’t work out with Becks, let me know.”

With one last grin and a gentle kiss to my temple, he walked off.

I stared after him for longer than I should have. Ash might as well have told me he was an alien from the planet Vulcan. It would’ve stunned me less if he had. A boy, not just any boy but Ash “The Whip” Styker, liked me, Sally Spitz, a first-class dork with a degree in geek. Not just liked, but liked. The news was about as believable as science fiction, but he’d been serious. And that kiss had definitely been real. My lips were still on fire.

Shaking my head, I went inside. Besides tossing me into a confusion spiral, and let’s face it, upping my confidence as a woman, the talk with Ash made me realize one indisputable fact: Boys were strange.

I got further confirmation of that a little later as I was in the middle of reading Harry Potter. Ten of the twelve kids registered had shown up today. We were at a really good part, the one where Hagrid finds Harry and the Dursleys holed up in a shack surrounded by the sea. The kids were loving it. I’d been doing all the voices, and not one of them could resist the pull of Jo Rowling’s writing.