page13 (2/2)

OhMyWord

That thought makes me flustered

I’ it hard to breathe I try to breathe out of my nose like a normal person, not out ofmakes that difficult

“So, want to meet here around 2:00?” Dante asks as he stands up “We can ride together”

“Sure,” I tell him He bends down and squeezes my shoulder

“It really is good to see you, Mi,” he tells ives me a peck on the cheek I smile at him

“It’s good to see you too,” I answer And I ood to see them He and Reece are so friendly And their blue eyes sparkle all of the time What’s not to like? They’re like friendly, witty Barbie and Ken dolls They’re a gorgeousset

They leave and Quinn and I are left alone at the table

“So, what are your plans for the day?” Quinn asks “Until 2:00, I mean?”

I shrug “I’o diving I’ve got to see if I still kno to swiot a deal to uphold”

Quinn grins “You sure do And you don’t strike e”

I’ my head “Never”

He laughs and clears his plate, putting it in the sink I like the fact that he does that It’s a thoughtful thing, even though it’s saze flickers to his butt, which is framed perfectly in worn Levi’s I seriously doubt there is a pair of jeans in the world that doesn’t agree with that butt And then he turns and catches reeable butt out

Epic Fail

I blush

“See so you like?” he asks, one eyebrow raised

I blush again

“I don’t knohat you mean,” I stammer

He chuckles “Wrong answer, tiny tot You’re supposed to give ht you checking out my merchandise”

My mouth drops open

“Yournow?”

Quinn winks “That depends on who is buying”

And he saunters out

Yes, saunters There is no other word to describe the casual, cocky way that he h life OhMyGod

My fingers are practically shaking as I pick up , either I have no idea why I let Quinn affect me like he does It’s like my hormones are instantly nervous whenever he is near I wonder if his are affected the same way? I shake my head and focus on my phone

Wanna go diving?

I text this to Gavin And then I add a smiley face

There is an answer in less than ten seconds

My, aren’t we happy today? And of course, Mi The answer to that is always yes

I shove h So, apparently, I don’t usually use es I don’t norateto rediscover myself So I shelve that idea

My phone buzzes in my pocket, so I pull it back out

BTW, you alear a bikini to dive A skimpy one

I laugh out loud And I’ when I hear a voice behind me

“Good , sweet one”

I turn to find Marionette gliding into the kitchen She bends and hugs me and I am truly happy to see her

“Good“Do you happen to know… do I have a car here?”

She smiles “You do have a car But it isn’t here And honestly, I don’t know if it was daed in the quake But Darius would be happy to take you anywhere you need to go”

“Thank you,” I smile at her

“He’s out in the barn, I think,” she tells rabs a loaded breakfast tray, presumably for my mother

The thought thatintowith a one-piece swimsuit and duck out before I can accidentally bu person, either

But that’s just a guess

I do find Darius in the barn and he is happy to give me a ride, just as Marionette said he would be He chats casually during the ride into town The far, but I don’tthere, I realize so

I didn’t bring any equipment

I’m an idiot

And I’ there like an idiot when Gavin finds me