Her cheeks flamed. “They treat me like a child. I can’t wait to go away to school.”
He knew the feeling of wanting to get away.
She turned to go.
“Tomorrow night,” he reminded her, hating that he might sound desperate.
“Okay.” She nodded, her expression eager, before she swung around and ran to the big house that always seemed so far away to him.
Derek shook his head to clear the memories of last night, knowing the bulge in his shorts couldn’t be ignored. She was hot and his cock got hard just looking at her in her tiny bikini with her tits popping over the edge of the material. And earlier, her tight ass had wriggled his way when they’d risen to dip in the pool. He pressed a hand to the painful bulge in his pants.
At least the hedges and bushes covered him from the chest down. But from his position, he had a perfect view of the girls and was within earshot of their conversation.
“I’m hot,” Trina Davies, a curvy blonde and Cassie’s close friend, whined. “Can’t you get Marie to bring us more iced tea? What are you paying her for anyway?”
Derek clenched his fists as the bitch spoke about his mother. Not even her big tits and curves were enough to make up for her attitude.
“Trina’s right. If Marisol took so long, my mom would fire her ass.” This from Anna Davis, the redhead of the group.
Derek glanced over the top of the bushes in time to see Cassie glance between her two friends. But she didn’t say anything. Didn’t defend his mother.
He’d wanted to like her, had liked her last night. But just the fact that she’d hang out with these girls told him all he needed to know about what was inside the pretty face and hot body. And Derek was less than impressed and really fucking disappointed.
He continued to watch them in silence, unnoticed.
Cassie chewed on her fingernail before finally speaking. “If Marie doesn’t come out in five minutes, I’ll go in and see what’s keeping her.”
God forbid she should pour the drinks and carry them outside herself. Poor little rich girl, he thought in disgust. What had he been thinking, asking her to meet him tonight?
Cassie pulled her hair off her neck and secured the long strands with a ponytail holder she’d been wearing around her wrist.
Without warning, Derek sneezed, calling attention to himself. He ducked down, hoping they hadn’t noticed him staring.
The giggles that followed told him he’d been busted, and his face flamed hot with embarrassment.
“Did you see that? He’s watching us,” Anna said and not in a whisper.
“He’s so hot,” Trina added. “I’d totally do him,” she said, loud enough to make sure he heard.
Derek wasn’t sure whether to be proud or pissed at the way they spoke about him. As if him listening didn’t mean a thing.
“He’s totally fuckable,” Anna agreed. “But not the guy you bring home to meet your father. Isn’t that right, Cass?”
Derek stiffened. This was her chance to prove she wasn’t like her bitchy friends. She knew he was listening.
“Cass?” Trina pushed her for an answer.
“No, definitely not good enough to bring home to Daddy,” she said, dutifully and as expected.
A sucker punch would have hurt less.
Fuck her. Fuck them all, Derek thought.
He couldn’t wait to get the hell out of here at the end of the summer. Thank God he had the brains to get a scholarship that let him go far away from here. He’d miss his parents, but he was grateful for the chance to start fresh somewhere.
Where he wasn’t the gardener’s kid.
Chapter One