Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 98909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
“What? No! Jesus. Ask him yourself. I’ve got better things to do than invent bad ideas, Hayworth. But we both know Judd listens to just one of us, and it ain’t me.”
He lifts a hand and runs it through his messy hair. He’s edging toward the doorway, as if he’s dying to leave.
“I’m serious, Hayworth.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll bring it up to him.” He stops to glare at me. “But if you’re just trying to make trouble between my teammate and me…”
“Oh, please,” I sputter. “I’m trying to keep us out of trouble. I don’t give two shits about Hell Week so long as nobody gets sued afterward.”
“Simmer down,” Hayworth grumbles. “Judd likes to talk. He’s too smart to put us in any real jeopardy.”
“Smart?” I spit before I can think better of it. “He drove a U-Haul truck into an underground parking garage, peeling the top off like a sardine can. And his ex-girlfriend had to get a new SIM card for her phone because he wouldn’t stop calling her from alternate numbers.”
My studly neighbor shakes his head. His whiskers are scruffy, which only draws more attention to his good looks. Some people have all the advantages in life.
Except common sense. “Judd cares about Alpha Delt,” Hayworth says. “I’m sure he’ll keep his head in the game.”
“Well, I’m not sure,” I say, just to make it clear. “If this turns into a shit show, I’m not taking the fall for it.”
“It won’t turn into a shit show.” His lips tighten. “Are you done?”
“Jeez. Someone’s feeling crabby tonight. What’s wrong, Hayworth?” I crack. “You hard up? Your rich girlfriend isn’t sucking your dick often enough?”
Keaton’s face goes a bit pale, and for a second I feel bad about being such a smart-ass. But my remorse is short-lived, because Hayworth sneers at me and resorts to the most childish of comebacks.
“At least I have a girlfriend.”
The smug bastard then wanders out of the room with his granola bar.
I check out his ass as he goes, just because I can.
Sea Slug Sex
Keaton
“Breakfast tomorrow?” Annika’s voice chirps into my ear as I get ready for bed. It’s just after eleven, but I’ve decided to call it a night. Today was a long-ass day and I barely got anything done.
“Can’t,” I answer, shifting the phone to my other ear so I can turn down the bedsheets. “I have a six a.m. practice, then a meeting with one of my TAs.”
“Who cares about a meeting with a TA?” she grumbles. “It’s not like he’s your prof.”
“No, but it’s still important.” More important than ever, actually. Charlie said he might have news for me tomorrow about an internship he’s setting up.
Annika doesn’t know about that, though, because I haven’t told a soul. I doubt I’ll get it, anyway. It’s more of a guilty fantasy than a realistic option.
“Why’s it so important?” she asks.
And yet despite her interest, which I appreciate, I don’t offer any specifics. In fact, I flat out lie. “He’s helping me with a paper that’s worth fifty percent of the final grade.”
“Fine. No breakfast, then. Let’s do dinner with Lindy and Max.”
“I thought we were mad at Lindy.” I strip to my boxers and slide under the covers.
“We were mad, but now we’re not.”
I can practically hear her eyes rolling. “Okey dokey. Then I guess we’re double-dating tomorrow night.”
“I’ll make reservations for eight?”
“Sounds good, baby.”
We exchange good nights, and then I hang up and stare up at the ceiling for a moment. Why haven’t I told Annika about the research trip to Chile yet? Initially, I told myself that it was pointless to mention the summer program to her unless it was a done deal, because it really does feel like a foolish dream more than anything.
But lately I’ve been toying with the idea of applying to graduate school next year. My dad would flip his shit. But it’s my life, right? And my grandfather’s trust fund would cover it, even if my dad cuts me off.
And he might very well take the nuclear option if I decide not to work for him. He’s been grooming me to take over the family business since the moment I declared a bio major.
The thing is? I don’t want his job. I don’t want his life.
I want to spend three months sailing the coast of Chile, looking for an undocumented breed of orca. It’s the kind of hands-on research program that makes budding marine biologists come in their pants.
Speaking of which… I never messaged SinnerThree after our little experiment earlier. I just didn’t know what to say.
To him, or to myself, honestly. It shocked me how turned on I got talking to him. When Annika asked me to make her birthday exciting, I know she wasn’t asking me to explore my sexuality with a stranger over an app.