Hood River Rat (Hood River Hoodlums #1) - K Webster Page 0,49
my lips, craving another kiss, but knowing I won’t get another one now that he’s been spooked. “I liked it.”
A grin tugs at his lips. “I liked it too.” His smile falls. “But…”
“You’re not gay. Got it.”
He rolls his eyes. “It’s not that, rat.”
“Oh, look, the pretty boy can rhyme.”
His eyes darken. “Don’t be a dick.”
“You literally just called me a rat. You’re the dick, not me.”
“Stop talking about dicks or mine won’t calm the fuck down.” He smirks. “We can talk about dicks later.”
Later?
I frown at him. “What do you want?”
“You.”
Not the answer I was expecting.
“I’m right here.” I fling my arms in the air. “Come get me.”
He looks over his shoulder and flinches. “I can’t.”
This is my last school all over again with Lucas.
“Because it’s okay to fuck around with me behind closed doors, but not where anyone can see.” My words drip with bitter venom.
Slowly, he approaches me and raises a hand to run his knuckle along my jaw. “I don’t give a shit what those assholes think.”
My eyes lift to meet his. “So what’s your deal?”
“Roux.”
“Roux won’t care who you date. She’s cool.”
He smiles, but then it fades. “Yeah, but how do I know this won’t somehow hurt her? What if the social worker freaks if she finds out about my…relationship?”
Now I feel like an asshole. He’s afraid they’ll take her away from him for good if he slips up.
“Relationship, huh?” I arch a brow at him. “You don’t even like me.”
“You’re growing on me,” he says, leaning in to steal a quick kiss. “Like a fungus.”
“You should get a job writing inscriptions on Hallmark cards,” I deadpan.
He snorts. “Seems like a cool job.”
“The last guy I dated…” I sigh. “We had to hide.”
Shame burns in his eyes. “That’s fucked up.”
“Yeah.” I kiss him again. “But it’s fine. I came out once before and it nearly ruined my life. Not exactly eager to do that again.”
“So what is this then? Some kind of truce?”
“More than a truce. A pact.”
“A pact for what?”
“To see where this goes. In secret.”
“What if it goes nowhere?”
“Then nobody has to know about our fuck up.”
He smiles. “And what if it goes somewhere?”
“You have to admit you like me then.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever like you,” he teases. “Not you. You’re too perfect, porcelain boy. Makes me want to break you.”
“Wow,” I say with a whistle. “Put that in a proposal and I’ll marry you tomorrow.”
He laughs, playfully shoving me away. “You’re such a smartass. Am I the only one who gets to see this wonderful side of you?”
“It’s one of my secrets. You’re my secret. It’s fitting you know all the shitty sides of me too.”
His eyes narrow. “Speaking of…what’s the deal with not eating?”
My stomach clenches violently at his words.
“Sometimes food makes me sick. The end.” I shove my hand in my pocket and hand him a phone. “Here, secret lover.”
“Don’t call me that,” he grumbles as he eyes the phone warily. “What’s that?”
“Don’t make me say it.”
He clenches his jaw.
“It’s a phone,” I say slowly like I’m teaching a caveman my language. “You put it to your ear—”
“No shit, Sherlock,” he snaps, his shoulders going rigid. “Why are you handing it to me?”
I shove it into his jeans pocket and leave my hand inside his pocket. “Because you’re my secret lover and I need to get a hold of you.”
“I’m not some fucking girlfriend you have to impress, rat.”
“And I’m not an asshole, rat lover.”
A muscle ticks in his jaw. “Don’t call me that.”
“Dude, you have no room to talk.” I slowly pull my hand from his jeans, letting my fingers brush against his dick along the way. “Yours got ruined when you had to rescue my ass. It’s called returning a favor. Just use the phone and forget all this proud crap you do. Okay? It can be another damn secret. I…” I let out a heavy sigh. “I got another one at the house for Roux.”
He blinks several times in shock, his jaw clenching.
“So she can talk to Charlotte. I overheard her talking about how kids were teasing her and since I was already replacing ours, it cost like ten bucks more to add another one.”
It wasn’t ten bucks.
It was over a grand that I took from my savings—money that should have gone to help Mom out but didn’t—to replace my phone and buy two more, but I’m sure as hell not telling him that.