The Secret Girl (Adamson All-Boys Academy #1) - C.M. Stunich Page 0,24

bigshot business mogul with shady political ties—he’s also Ranger’s dad, though you wouldn’t know it at first. It doesn’t appear they have much to do with one another.

On my way back to the boys’ dorm that night, I hear chatter in the woods again, and find Spencer and his buddies counting out money. I watch them briefly from between the trees, but I'm not interested in getting involved in whatever crap they've got going on. Looks like they’re selling weed, but what do I care? Pot should be legal anyway; it is in California.

Tiptoeing back through the trees, I end up running right into the silver-haired dickwad on the path. He's got his arms crossed over his chest, clearly waiting for me.

“How did you get over here so quick?” I whisper, and he shrugs.

“My brother taught me everything he knew about these woods, long before I ever enrolled in this school. Don't think there's a place on this campus that I'm not fully aware of. I know you've got your little hidey-hole in the abandoned dorm.”

My throat tightens up, and I have to swallow past a lump.

Spencer's turquoise eyes glitter in the dark like a cat's as he makes his way over to me, putting his forearm on the tree trunk above my head. I can smell him now, this woody warmth that's as rough as it is cultured. Provocative. Salivating. Ugh.

“There's something off about you,” Spencer says, looking down at me with that penetrating gaze of his. “I mean something other than the off-putting bravado you try so hard for.”

I scoff, and go to duck under his arm when he grabs me by the shoulders and pushes me back against the tree, knocking the breath out of me. Spencer leans in and studies my face, taking in my uneven breathing, and my pounding heart with interest. “I'm going to figure out what it is, asshole. Mark my words, Chuck: whatever you're hiding, I will sniff it out.”

“You can fucking try,” I snap back, knowing it's probably a bad idea to piss this guy off when we're all alone in the dark with two of his cronies within earshot. “But I'm not hiding anything worth knowing. Why don't you tell me why everyone freaked out when I brought up Ranger's sister?”

Spencer's eyes narrow to slits, and he leans in close to me, exhaling sharply and stirring my hair. The motion makes me shiver, and I feel my nipples hardening to points beneath the tight wrap of my bindings. My breasts are near desperate for freedom at this point. I can almost imagine Spencer sliding my jacket off, fingers pulling the edge of the bandage loose as he turns me around in a circle and …

His eyes widen slightly, and a smug, male chuckle escapes his beautiful lips. Before I can figure out the source of it, Spencer's grabbing me by the chin and tilting my face up to his, a smirk working its way across his mouth. He's limned in moonlight, making his ash-colored hair glow with silver sparkles.

“It all makes sense now,” he breathes, his mouth far too close to mine for comfort. I try to pull away, but he's got a hard grip on my right arm, fingers digging into my flesh. “I don't know how I didn't see it before; it's too obvious.”

My turn to have my eyes widen, my heart pound. No. He knows my secret. He knows. He freaking knows. I open my mouth to protest, to beg him to keep it a secret, when he continues talking.

“You're gay, aren't you, Chuck?” he asks, and my lips part in surprise. Spencer trails his fingertips down the side of my throat, and I smack his hand away just before he gets to my chest. I have a feeling that if he touches me there, he'll know.

“I'm into guys, so what?” I snap, because that's not a lie. “That doesn't mean I'm into you.” I go to knee him in the balls, when he puts a leg between mine, using his body to press me into the tree. I grit my teeth, but I can't stop my heart from racing, or my body aching. Do I like him touching me, really? I refuse to admit it.

“Is that why you've been such a jerk, huh?” he asks, breathing against my ear. “All the sneaking around, and the standoffish behavior?” I close my eyes, but I can still smell him, a trickle of sweat working its way down between