eyes widen just slightly,
telling me I've done my job.
“You're just like your mother, aren't you? All you want is
access to my dad and his connections, his money and his house,”
she says in a voice so low it's almost hair raising. I didn't think
she had it in her. I'm impressed. “I can tell you right now,
you won't get it. Not as long as I'm around.”
Well it's a good thing she won’t be around much longer, isn't
it?
I feign innocence, dropping my gaze to the ground. “Hey look,
things with my dad aren't so great. I just needed to get out of that,
you know?”
Leah remains cold as ice, my attempt to appeal to her emotions is
pretty much dead on arrival. She doesn't budge. She doesn't soften
even a bit. This shit is going to be more difficult than I thought.
I’m starting to think she's too smart for her own good—but
what she doesn't know is that I'm smarter.
“Besides, our parents want us to bond, it means a lot to your
dad. He thinks us driving up there together will help us do that. It
was his idea.”
She twists her mouth, and let's out a long sigh, her foot shuffling
against the marble flooring. And there it is, I've found her weak
spot—her father.
“Besides, it'll be fun.”
“Fun? You really think spending the next two days with me will
be fun?”
“We can make it fun. If you're not a giant bore, that is.”
She groans.
“Seriously, do you want to go away to college and still be
stuck in your shell?” I ask. She looks at me and I add, “No
pun intended.”
Her lip stiffens and she shoves me, or at least attempts to shove me,
with her palms against my chest.
“I didn't mean it like that, I swear,” I tell her with a
chuckle. “So? What do you say?”
She hesitates before finally answering. “All right. Fine.”
My lip curls into a smile. Two days alone on the open highway, a few
days at a secluded cabin. I'm in like Flynn. And by the end of this
trip, Tatter'd Ink will belong to me.
“Perfect.” I grab an apple and toss it into the air
before taking a big bite of it. “Be ready by one. And pack
light, we're taking my bike.”
CHAPTER 8
LEAH
How did I get myself into this? I could be in Orlando with my BFF,
but instead I'll be stuck on the back of a bike, in the middle of
nowhere, with my asshole stepbrother for the next two days. And I
don't have anyone else to blame for it but myself.
As much as I hate him, he's right. And him being right just makes me
hate him even more. With college looming just around the corner, I'm
dreading the idea of spending the next four years going unnoticed,
being ignored by every guy, spending all my time studying and none of
it experiencing . Change is daunting and I don’t know how
to do it. But I dread that if I leave college the same old boring,
stick in the mud Leah Parker, that's who I'll be for the rest of my
life.
And I don't think I can handle spending the rest of my life alone.
I glance at myself in the mirror several times while I pack my
toiletries. Not out of vanity, but because I can barely recognize
myself in the mirror. Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe it's exactly
what I need.
A loud rap at the bathroom door pulls me out of my reverie. “Five
minutes,” Threat hollers as he wanders past the door and then
down the stairs.
Once my clothes are all packed tight in my overnighter, I change into
a pair of cutoffs and a crop style tank top. The desert heat is going
to be unbearable, which is yet another reason why taking his
motorcycle is ridiculous.
Before I exit my room I go to grab my Kindle, quickly remembering
that it's been ruined. Great. What the hell am I going to read for
the next week?
With a long groan I throw my bag over my shoulder and head
downstairs. Threat is already out front, obnoxiously revving his
engine and being a fucking show off; nothing new to see there.
“You know we'd be a lot more comfortable in the range rover,”
I tell him, hoping to change his mind.
“Your dad has a Range Rover,
telling me I've done my job.
“You're just like your mother, aren't you? All you want is
access to my dad and his connections, his money and his house,”
she says in a voice so low it's almost hair raising. I didn't think
she had it in her. I'm impressed. “I can tell you right now,
you won't get it. Not as long as I'm around.”
Well it's a good thing she won’t be around much longer, isn't
it?
I feign innocence, dropping my gaze to the ground. “Hey look,
things with my dad aren't so great. I just needed to get out of that,
you know?”
Leah remains cold as ice, my attempt to appeal to her emotions is
pretty much dead on arrival. She doesn't budge. She doesn't soften
even a bit. This shit is going to be more difficult than I thought.
I’m starting to think she's too smart for her own good—but
what she doesn't know is that I'm smarter.
“Besides, our parents want us to bond, it means a lot to your
dad. He thinks us driving up there together will help us do that. It
was his idea.”
She twists her mouth, and let's out a long sigh, her foot shuffling
against the marble flooring. And there it is, I've found her weak
spot—her father.
“Besides, it'll be fun.”
“Fun? You really think spending the next two days with me will
be fun?”
“We can make it fun. If you're not a giant bore, that is.”
She groans.
“Seriously, do you want to go away to college and still be
stuck in your shell?” I ask. She looks at me and I add, “No
pun intended.”
Her lip stiffens and she shoves me, or at least attempts to shove me,
with her palms against my chest.
“I didn't mean it like that, I swear,” I tell her with a
chuckle. “So? What do you say?”
She hesitates before finally answering. “All right. Fine.”
My lip curls into a smile. Two days alone on the open highway, a few
days at a secluded cabin. I'm in like Flynn. And by the end of this
trip, Tatter'd Ink will belong to me.
“Perfect.” I grab an apple and toss it into the air
before taking a big bite of it. “Be ready by one. And pack
light, we're taking my bike.”
CHAPTER 8
LEAH
How did I get myself into this? I could be in Orlando with my BFF,
but instead I'll be stuck on the back of a bike, in the middle of
nowhere, with my asshole stepbrother for the next two days. And I
don't have anyone else to blame for it but myself.
As much as I hate him, he's right. And him being right just makes me
hate him even more. With college looming just around the corner, I'm
dreading the idea of spending the next four years going unnoticed,
being ignored by every guy, spending all my time studying and none of
it experiencing . Change is daunting and I don’t know how
to do it. But I dread that if I leave college the same old boring,
stick in the mud Leah Parker, that's who I'll be for the rest of my
life.
And I don't think I can handle spending the rest of my life alone.
I glance at myself in the mirror several times while I pack my
toiletries. Not out of vanity, but because I can barely recognize
myself in the mirror. Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe it's exactly
what I need.
A loud rap at the bathroom door pulls me out of my reverie. “Five
minutes,” Threat hollers as he wanders past the door and then
down the stairs.
Once my clothes are all packed tight in my overnighter, I change into
a pair of cutoffs and a crop style tank top. The desert heat is going
to be unbearable, which is yet another reason why taking his
motorcycle is ridiculous.
Before I exit my room I go to grab my Kindle, quickly remembering
that it's been ruined. Great. What the hell am I going to read for
the next week?
With a long groan I throw my bag over my shoulder and head
downstairs. Threat is already out front, obnoxiously revving his
engine and being a fucking show off; nothing new to see there.
“You know we'd be a lot more comfortable in the range rover,”
I tell him, hoping to change his mind.
“Your dad has a Range Rover,
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